Rodolfo Cabanillas, acting federal prosecutor, requested an oral trial against Miguel Ángel Negro, former mayor of Santa Catalina, Córdoba, and his political partner Oscar Ignacio Alaniz for instigating the occupation of railway land in Holmberg. The accusation includes Alan Iván Báez, Fernando Gabriel Romano, and Mayra Desireé Garretón as co-perpetrators of the offense. The request is based on the construction of more than sixty lots inhabited since January 2023.
The case keeps that Negro and Alaniz informed individuals about the available land next to the tracks of Trenes Argentinos Cargas. Both allegedly promised to provide electricity and regularize the situation after the municipal elections. The promises were part of the campaign that sought to install Alaniz as Negro's successor.
Between December 2022 and January 2023, the accused obtained a certificate of electrical installation for Romano. Then the mayor signed a note to ERSeP requesting a connection "as a provisional user." The document attached Romano's ID as the supposed owner of the homes.
After obtaining electricity, a group of fifty to sixty people divided the land with wires and bags. They built foundations, brought materials, and erected makeshift homes. The prosecutor describes a dispossession that deprived the national government and the concessionaire of legal possession.
Electoral promises and political role
Holmberg residents reported the occupation to the Federal Court on January 18 and 19, 2023. Minutes after the first report, Negro himself filed a similar complaint. For the prosecution, that gesture was belated and sought to avoid responsibility.
Cabanillas cited a report from Belgrano Cargas stating that the property was subdivided without authorization. The document confirms that there was no official request for electricity for the shacks. The company emphasized the illegality of the works carried out.
Testimonies from residents describe the nighttime arrival of municipal trucks with debris. Videos show Báez coordinating the work and acknowledging the occupation on television cameras. Phone recordings reveal conversations in which Alaniz offers lots and payment facilities.
The prosecutor concludes that the scheme sought "to garner votes" before the elections on June 4, 2023. Negro held the mayor's office for four decades and supported Alaniz's candidacy. Cabanillas emphasizes that the occupation and the management of electricity were "promises typical of an electoral campaign."
