The request involves current and former executives for fraud, money laundering, and schemes with checks
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Prosecutor Carlos Casas Nóblega requested severe prison sentences for both historical and current leaders of Luz y Fuerza, whom he accused of being part of a structure that diverted union funds. He argued that the schemes may have operated for years through checks issued in the names of real or fictitious suppliers, which were then cashed by intermediaries. He also requested union disqualifications for all those involved, according to the assigned responsibility.
For Gabriel Suárez, former general secretary, he requested ten years in prison, eight years of disqualification, and a fine of 15.6 million pesos (34,393 pounds) for his role in issuing the documents. The Prosecutor's Office identified him as a key figure in the transactions carried out between 2011 and 2019, when the most significant frauds in the case file allegedly occurred. He was considered one of the main individuals responsible for allowing diversions from the union's Compensatory Fund and Social Welfare Fund.
For the current head of the union, Jorge Molina Herrera, the request was for 9 years and six months in prison, 8 years of disqualification, and a fine of $67.5 million (148,755 pounds). For Fernando Navarro, who managed finances during the investigated period, the same prison sentence and disqualification period were requested, along with a fine of $12.6 million (27,797 pounds). He also requested lower penalties for the rest of the accused for their participation in the chain of endorsements and authorizations.
Gabriel Suárez, Fernando Navarro y Jorge Molina Herrera, ex cúpula sindical acusada de múltiples cargos
Amounts, the remaining defendants, and the criminal schemes
The Prosecutor's Office requested five years and six months in prison for Daniel Edgardo Lozano and five years for Roque Daniel Tapia, whom it linked to complementary schemes. For Alexis Fidelbo and José Ramón Galván, five years in prison were requested, accused of acting as proxies who facilitated the circulation of checks. For Yanina Victoria Molina, daughter of the current general secretary, he requested three years in prison for her secondary role.
Casas Nóblega stated that "there was an intentional diversion of checks to obtain kickbacks," detailing operational models that included successive endorsements and low amounts in order to evade controls. He indicated that the documents were issued by Suárez, Navarro, and Molina Herrera, and were then sent to third parties linked to the Ampes mutual, which allegedly acted as an intermediary. He maintained that other checks went directly to the proxies, who authorized withdrawals or made collections at local banks.
According to the accusation, the loss to the Compensatory Fund exceeded $215 million (474,005 pounds) and the impact on the Social Welfare Fund exceeded 6 million (13,229 pounds), constituting serious financial damage. Charges of money laundering were also included for Suárez, Molina Herrera, and Navarro, covering purchases of cars, foreign currency, and real estate investments. Federal Oral Court 2 will deliver its verdict on December 1 after hearing the final statements of all the defendants.
