Key week for Oscar Andrade due to corruption in Sunca

In January 2025, a criminal complaint was filed regarding the embezzlement of 35.6 million Uruguayan pesos (approximately 1.2 million dollars) and 17,500 dollars from the FOSVOC (Social Housing Fund for Construction Workers) between February and November 2024. 

The Fund, intended to facilitate access to housing for construction workers, is managed by a joint commission between Sunca union members and employers.

Convicted unionists

Three former unionists from the Communist Party (PCU), Santiago Bernaola, Bruno Bertolio, and Víctor Rivero, were criminally convicted of embezzlement, fraud, conspiracy to commit a crime, and aiding money laundering. 

Their statements before the Prosecutor's Office, led by Gilberto Rodríguez, pointed to communist senator Óscar Andrade and also communist deputy Daniel Diverio as being aware of the fraudulent schemes.

The former unionists stated that Andrade, due to his central role in SUNCA, "it was impossible for him not to be aware" of the mega fraud of 1.2 million dollars.

The prosecutor is investigating whether part of the embezzled funds was used to finance the PCU's electoral campaigns, including the 2024 internal and national elections, as well as the 2025 departmental and municipal elections.

Meanwhile, the money stolen by the communist unionists was used for the electoral campaign of the referendum on social security promoted by PIT-CNT in October 2024. 

The convicted individuals identified Andrade as the mastermind behind the scheme. 

Specifically, the senator benefited directly to boost his candidacy for the Senate, a seat he secured in the elections of October last year.

Key testimony

Bruno Bertolio, PCU leader and former president of FOSVOC in 2024, stated on June 11, 2025, that the president of SUNCA, Richard Ferreira, and the secretary general, Javier Díaz, received money from the fund, and that they were asked to "create conditions" for the election of Andrade and Diverio as legislators.

The accusation against communist parliamentarians Andrade and Diverio is devastating. According to these unionists from the PCU, both used money intended for a construction workers' fund to promote their personal political careers.

Controversial hiring of the lawyer

Andrade and Diverio hired the prestigious attorney Gonzalo Fernández, former member of Frente Amplio and one of the most expensive lawyers in Uruguay.

For many years, he was the personal lawyer of Tabaré Vázquez and held very important positions in previous Frente Amplio governments.

This hiring caused entirely reasonable criticism, since Andrade had previously declared that he did not have the resources to pay taxes or an architect for his house, which raises questions about the source of the funds to pay Fernández.

It is worth recalling that Óscar Andrade owns a spectacular chalet in the resort San Luis (Canelones), and for a decade did not pay the property tax to the Department's local government.

When the case became public thanks to a report by the television program Santo y Seña broadcast by Canal 4, the communist senator tried to catch up with his debt.

Andrade before the prosecutor's office

Once the judicial recess ended on July 13, prosecutor Rodríguez will continue his criminal investigation, and as he announced a few weeks ago, both Andrade and Diverio could be summoned to the prosecutor's office.

Both communist legislators face serious accusations that must be clarified.

If it is ultimately proven that the Communist Party infiltrated unionists into Sunca to carry out a million-dollar fraud and thus finance its electoral campaign, it would be truly serious.

This means that a main sector of Frente Amplio, to which Labor Minister Juan Castillo belongs, used construction workers' money illegally to finance its electoral campaign.

So far, the explanations Andrade has provided are full of contradictions and do not add up in any way.

He can't coherently explain the accusations against him. The Prosecutor's Office must thoroughly pursue its investigation, and those responsible for a million-dollar mega fraud must be held accountable.