The trial of Andrea del Boca and Julio De Vido for the 'Mamá Corazón' fraud has begun.

The Federal Oral Court 7 began the  oral and public trial against actress and producer Andrea del Boca and former Minister of Federal Planning Julio De Vido. Both were accused of fraudulent administration in relation to the public funds allocated to the production of the telenovela "Mamá Corazón" in 2015.

The trial began this Thursday remotely via the Zoom platform. During the initial hearing, the reading of the request for trial elevation, presented by the investigating prosecutor Gerardo Pollicita, took place. Both Del Boca and De Vido were present along with the other defendants.

Without preliminary motions from the defenses, the interrogatory statements began. Julio De Vido was the first to briefly present before the court. The day ended with the statement of the former official Luis Vitullio, who denied the accusations and defended the audiovisual financing agreements during Kirchnerism.

Due to a power outage at the residence of the court's president, Judge Fernando Canero, the hearing was suspended and will resume on Thursday, March 13. At that time, Andrea del Boca's statement is expected.

Accusations and details of the investigation

Del Boca and De Vido face charges for alleged irregularities in the financing of "Mamá Corazón", which received more than 25 million pesos through an agreement between the actress's production company, A Group SRL, and the National University of San Martín. The funds were channeled by the Ministry of Federal Planning, under De Vido's management.

The investigation, led by Federal Judge Sebastián Ramos and Prosecutor Pollicita, indicates that the agreement included clauses that exclusively favored the production company, granting it exclusive international marketing rights for 60 months, extendable.

The trial will feature the testimony of approximately a hundred witnesses, including actors Fernando Dente, Fabián Mazzei, and Marcelo Mazzarelo. The hearings will take place every Thursday virtually.

The Federal Oral Court 7 is composed of judges Enrique Méndez Signori, Fernando Canero, and Germán Castelli, while Prosecutor Fabiána León is in charge of the prosecution. Former officials of the National University of San Martín and INCAA also face legal proceedings, including the former president of this organization, Liliana Mazure.