This Wednesday, the oral trial began against Claudio Contardi, Julieta Prandi's former partner, who was accused of aggravated sexual abuse with carnal access.
The model will be the first witness to testify before the Oral Criminal Court No. 2 of Zárate-Campana, in a process that comes after six years of judicial waiting since she began her legal battle.
Who is Claudio Contardi?
Claudio Contardi is an Argentine businessman linked to the gastronomic sector. He became publicly known for his nearly decade-long relationship with Julieta Prandi, whom he married in 2011.
Together they had two children: Mateo and Rocco. The couple separated at the beginning of 2019, and the divorce was formalized that same year, in October.
Since then, Contardi has been accused in multiple cases of domestic violence, economic violence, and sexual abuse, all initiated by his ex-wife.
The sexual abuse accusation
The most serious accusation against Contardi is for the crime of aggravated sexual abuse with carnal access, for having caused severe damage to the victim's mental health. These are acts allegedly committed in the marital home in Escobar between July 2015 and March 2018.
According to the request to proceed to trial signed by prosecutor Christian Fabio, the abuses allegedly occurred systematically: at least twice a week, totaling a minimum of 144 incidents.
The judicial text states that Contardi "exercised all types of physical, psychological, and symbolic violence," and that he forced Prandi to have sexual relations "due to marital obligation."
Claudio niega haber ejercido violencia contra la modelo
Guarantee Judge Luciano Marino considered that there was sufficient evidence to proceed with the criminal process. The case is based on expert reports, testimonies, and the victim's constant and detailed account, who seeks justice after years of silence.
The only time Claudio Contardi spoke publicly about the matter was in 2022, when he participated in a YouTube video for the Infancias compartidas series. There, the man claimed to be the victim of media harassment by his ex-wife.
"I never wanted to be doing what I'm doing today because if there's something I've always criticized, it's the way our family problems were released. I've always wanted to protect my children's mental health, but I had no other choice than to sit in front of a camera today and tell my truth," said the businessman.
La primera denuncia de Julieta Prandi se dio en octubre de 2019
"Unfortunately, everything starts to get distorted with accusations here and there," Claudio stated. "Problems start to arise when the kids start to show that they want to spend more time with me and they have a good time," he added.
He also denied that one of his children had suffered abuse while under his care. "According to what I was able to discuss with my son and what the specialists say, there was a children's game... Thank God there was no abuse. The specialists reassured me because, obviously, I was worried," he concluded.
