Neonatal in Córdoba: convicted Escudero claimed that the trial was politically staged

Alejandro Escudero Salama was sentenced to five years in prison for covering up crimes at the Neonatal Hospital. He served as Undersecretary of Administrative Management during part of the period under investigation. After the verdict was announced, he launched harsh criticism of the judicial process.

The former official spoke on Arriba Córdoba and questioned the conduct of the trial. He stated that everything was "scripted" by sectors of the judiciary and political power. According to him, from day three he knew he would be accused.

Escudero pointed to an alleged maneuver to protect former minister Diego Cardozo. He said the trial did not seek to reveal the truth or reach the political officials responsible. "Ministers should not be a condemnable figure," he stated in the interview.

Criticism of the role of the provincial government

The former official suggested that Governor Juan Schiaretti was aware of the deaths. "If Gómez Demmel knew, Schiaretti did too," he said. For Escudero, the fact that the then-governor requested to be a plaintiff was "an aberration."

He also criticized the event led by Manuel Calvo at the hospital, two days after the complaint. "It was a gesture of absolute insensitivity," he said. He recounted that this event was not planned and was organized at the last minute.

"The institutional communication was cold and served to cover up," he stated. He asserted that the government never faced the public. He said everything was political speculation.

Personal vindication and doubts about the ruling

Escudero denied having covered up the events. He clarified that his intervention helped bring attention to the case of Damaris, mother of one of the deceased babies. "Her account was so cruel that I decided to institutionalize it and request a report," he stated.

He detailed that in that nursing report, the name of Brenda Agüero did not appear. He asserted that this omission was key to opening a new line of investigation. He said that since then, everything changed within the hospital.

Finally, he explained that he did not file a report personally by order of his superiors. "They instructed Asís to go in my place," he said. He concluded: "I did what I had to do."

The case that shocked Córdoba

Between March and June 2022, at least five newborns died at the Maternal Neonatal Hospital. The nurse Brenda Agüero was sentenced to life in prison for injecting them with potassium and insulin. Eight more babies were reportedly left with irreversible consequences.

The trial began in January 2025 and was one of the most impactful in Córdoba's judicial history. Ten provincial officials were tried for omission, aggravated cover-up, and ideological falsehood. Among them, former Health Minister Diego Cardozo, who avoided a conviction.

Forensic experts reached categorical conclusions in six of the thirteen cases investigated. The evidence included autopsies, biopsies, and exhaustive clinical analyses. The judiciary confirmed criminal and functional responsibilities in a chain of negligence and official silence.