The trial of Andrea del Boca and Julio De Vido for fraudulent administration begins

This Thursday, the 6th, the trial for fraudulent administration against actress Andrea del Boca and former Federal Planning Minister Julio De Vido begins. It is about the state financing of the soap opera "Mamá Corazón." Both are accused of crimes committed during the allocation of public funds for the production of the soap opera in 2015.

Details of the trial and hearings

The trial is being held at Federal Oral Court 7, where the testimony of more than a hundred witnesses is expected. Among them are actors like Fernando Dente, Fabián Mazzei, and Marcelo Mazzarello, among others. The hearings, which will be held every Thursday, will be conducted remotely via the Zoom platform, according to judicial sources.

The court will be composed of judges Enrique Méndez Signori, Fernando Canero, and Germán Castelli, with Fabiána León as the case prosecutor. It was decided that the entire debate will be conducted via videoconference, and the beginning and end of the trial will be broadcast publicly.

Causes and accusations

Andrea del Boca is prosecuted as a "necessary participant" in fraudulent administration due to an agreement between her production company, A+A Group SRL, and the National University of San Martín to finance the soap opera "Mamá Corazón" with more than 25 million pesos. This agreement was made under the auspices of the Federal Planning Ministry, which was then headed by Julio De Vido.

The investigation maintains that regulations related to public contracts may have been violated. Additionally, "arbitrary or leonine" clauses in the agreement were highlighted, granting the production company exclusive rights for the international commercialization of the soap opera for a period of 60 months, renewable for another equal term.

The accusation claims that the soap opera project was financed with public money, while the production company benefited from the profits obtained from international sales. According to the prosecution, the purpose of the maneuver was to ensure that the work was completed so it could be sold abroad, allowing the production company to obtain additional economic returns.

Andrea del Boca, as the representative of the production company, would have played an essential role in the execution of this plan, and her collaboration would have been crucial to carry out the fraudulent maneuver.

Reactions of Andrea del Boca

In public statements, Andrea del Boca expressed her desire for the situation to finally be clarified. Regarding the case, she stated that "it's time for everything to be clarified." She also highlighted that, of the ten prosecuted former officials, she was the only private individual involved in the trial.

Regarding her role, the actress stated she was judicially calm, as she fulfilled what was stipulated in her contract and had no authority to edit or sell the soap opera, only to advertise it.

Another production under investigation: "El Pacto"

In addition to "Mamá Corazón," the same trial will address another case related to the miniseries "El Pacto," produced by the cooperative Tostaki Ltda. This production was also financed through an agreement linked to Papel Prensa. The investigation of both cases will be conducted in parallel within the same oral debate.

This trial will mark a milestone in Argentine justice, where the use of public funds in the entertainment industry and the possible embezzlement of these funds by public figures and government officials are being evaluated.