A rural school director from Misiones accumulated 3,363 days of leave over 18 years in office and now faces a criminal complaint for alleged defrauding of the State. This is Juan Carlos Kategora, head of School 733 in Colonia Paraíso, who collected his salary for long periods without showing up in the classroom while a substitute covered his absence.
The General Council of Education (CGE) opened an administrative inquiry to investigate whether the leaves were granted correctly and if there were any labor incompatibilities. In parallel, provincial deputy Cristian Gabriel Castro filed a criminal complaint for defrauding the Public Administration and repeated ideological falsehood in a public instrument.
The legislator also requested that the Justice Department obtain information about Kategora's trips abroad from 2006 to 2026, to assess their criminal relevance. While the director was on leave, a substitute took charge of the school located about 40 kilometers from San Vicente.
Additionally, it was revealed that Kategora was working concurrently at the company Electricidad de Misiones Sociedad Anónima (EMSA) in Posadas. The president of the CGE, Daniela López, confirmed that the agency is investigating possible incompatibilities due to that second job.
Resignation accepted but the investigation continues
After the scandal, Kategora submitted his resignation as director, and the CGE accepted it. However, López warned that the administrative inquiry will not be closed with that decision: “We have a maximum limit of 6 months to close an administrative inquiry of this nature, but we will not let this situation end with a resignation.”
Kategora was appointed in 2004 as a grade teacher and director. In 2013, he resigned from the teaching position but continued as director and received a salary with an 80 percent extra for unfavorable zone. Between 2006 and 2010, he requested 29 days for common illnesses and worked in other agencies under the figure of “labor debit.”
