The Federal Chamber prosecuted two law professors from UNC for irregularities in an academic competition held in 2017. The case began with a complaint that indicated falsehoods in certificates submitted to obtain a position in the Public International Law department. The accused are Oscar Benítez, who was competing, and Arturo Pagliari, accused of issuing false documentation in his favor.
According to the investigation, Benítez supported his application with certificates containing inaccurate or false information, several of which were signed by Pagliari. The judiciary determined that these documents referred to non-existent activities or activities incorrectly named, in order to inflate his credentials. The certificates were reportedly decisive for his evaluation in the academic selection process.
Judges Graciela Montesi, Eduardo Ávalos, and Abel Sánchez Torres overturned the initial dismissal and ordered the prosecution of both professors. Benítez was charged with eight counts of ideological falsehood and use of false documents, while Pagliari faces eight counts of ideological falsehood. The court also ordered a deeper investigation into six other related incidents that have not yet been fully clarified.
The judiciary considers each document an independent offense
The magistrates indicated that each of the false certificates constitutes an autonomous criminal act, thus forming a real concurrence of offenses. In total, fourteen documents were challenged that were allegedly used irregularly to gain an advantage in the appointment process. The judicial resolution requires the continued gathering of evidence to determine the possible existence of more individuals involved.
The incidents occurred in the context of a competition to fill an assistant professor position in the Public International Law department. There, Benítez was an applicant and Pagliari was part of the academic structure as a tenured professor, which would aggravate the functional relationship between them. The suspicion is that there was a deliberate and planned scheme to favor his appointment through fraudulent certificates.
The seriousness of the incidents at UNC directly affects the credibility of public competitions and the academic integrity of a national university. If the systematic use of false documentation to advance in the teaching career is proven, it constitutes unacceptable conduct in the university environment. This type of scheme must be severely sanctioned to prevent the normalization of practices that corrupt education.
