Río Cuarto: five teachers are being requested to be prosecuted for improper use of UNRC laboratories

Federal prosecutor Rodolfo Cabanillas requested the indictment of five researchers from the National University of Río Cuarto (UNCR) and Conicet for crimes against public administration. They are accused of improperly using laboratories belonging to the Faculty of Exact Sciences. The defendants were arrested in April and later released on bail in May.

The alleged crimes include embezzlement, breach of trust, and fraud, according to the case led by the federal judiciary. Cabanillas also requested that they be detained again due to possible obstruction. Judge Carlos Ochoa delegated the investigation to the prosecutor in December 2024.

According to reports, a person unaffiliated with the university was arrested for assisting in the concealment of evidence. That person allegedly acted in collusion with one of the defendants. The incident is linked to an alleged attempt to hinder the judicial process.

The accusation states that between January 2022 and the end of 2024, the defendants conducted paid studies using public equipment. Tests were reportedly sold to more than six private companies in the agri-biotechnology sector. They used the laboratories even outside working hours and on weekends.

UNRC will not be able to act as plaintiff

The National University of Río Cuarto requested to act as plaintiff in the case through its rector Marisa Rovera. Judge Ochoa rejected the request, considering it premature. He argued that it could jeopardize the ongoing investigation.

The filing stated that UNRC considered itself "offended" by the events under investigation. It also claimed that the university may have suffered economic harm. Some defendants allegedly even collected "overtime" while performing private work.

The case keeps that the accused used public assets for personal benefit.This would involve supplies, equipment, and facilities under their professional responsibility. The judge emphasized that this would affect public administration and society in general.

Ochoa warned that more individuals could be implicated during the investigation. He noted that these could be internal or external members of the university. For this reason, UNRC's institutional participation in the case has not yet been permitted.

What remains to be solved

Although the prosecutor warned of obstruction, the judge did not order new arrests. Thus, he considers that pretrial detention is not necessary at this stage. The procedural status of the defendants will be determined after the July judicial recess.

The original complaint was filed by a lawyer on a Río Cuarto radio program. UNRC initiated an internal investigation but did not impose formal sanctions. It maintained that the researchers were not directly dependent on the university, but rather on Conicet.

The events allegedly occurred in the Plant Physiology and Molecular Biology laboratories. The technology used belongs to the Faculty of Exact, Physical-Chemical, and Natural Sciences. The tasks were carried out without official authorization and outside working hours.

The exact economic damage has not yet been determined. It is also unknown how many companies contracted the allegedly irregular tests. The investigation remains ongoing under a gag order.