Marcelo Abdala should also provide explanations about Sunca

Óscar Andrade, senator from Frente Amplio and former leader of the National Construction and Related Workers' Union (SUNCA), has been mentioned several times in connection with an investigation into the diversion of funds from the Construction Workers' Social Housing Fund (FOSVOC), but for now he is not formally charged. 

Andrade is not the only member of the Communist Party implicated in the mega fraud.

The implication arises from the statements of three former SUNCA unionists (Santiago Bernaola, Bruno Bertolio, and Víctor Rivero), who were convicted in June 2025 for the crimes of embezzlement, fraud, conspiracy to commit a crime, and aiding money laundering, for a shortfall of more than 1,200,000 dollars. 

These unionists, all members of the Communist Party, were expelled from Sunca, and stated in their testimonies before the Prosecutor's Office that both Andrade and Representative Daniel Diverio, also from the Communist Party of Uruguay (PCU), were allegedly aware of the fraudulent schemes.

Part of the money was used to finance PCU campaigns in 2024 and 2025, including internal, national elections and the plebiscite on social security reform.

Prosecutor's opinion

Prosecutor Gilberto Rodríguez, who is in charge of the investigation, has indicated that he is considering summoning Andrade and Diverio for an administrative statement, but clarified that, only for now, there is no formal charge against them. 

The investigation continues to determine whether there was a broader criminal network and whether the funds were used for political purposes.

Andrade implicated

The accusations against Andrade are based mainly on the testimonies of those convicted and are devastating.

He is mentioned several times as responsible or co-responsible for the corruption scheme.

Abdala may be implicated

Marcelo Abdala has been for many years one of the main leaders of the Communist Party, and a perennial union bureaucrat.

He belongs to Untmra, the metalworkers' union, of which he has been the main leader for many years. 

Abdala, like Andrade and Diverio, is on both sides of the table. They engage in party politics in the PCU and at the same time are unionists. 

If this enormous corruption scheme involving the PCU as well is proven, it is more than obvious that Marcelo Abdala must have been aware of absolutely everything. 

It can be stated that in addition to sharing political and union activism, Abdala is a friend of both Andrade and Diverio.

Abdala crashed while intoxicated 

In fact, when Abdala crashed while drunk in February 2022 and then fled, he requested leave from PIT-CNT. 

In that 2022 episode, he was sentenced to 15 days of community service for driving under the influence, and this led him to request a temporary leave from PIT-CNT.

Daniel Diverio temporarily replaced Abdala at that time.

That is, current Communist Representative Diverio was the one who replaced Abdala for a few weeks in 2022, because PCU wanted PIT-CNT to continue being led by a Communist unionist.

Abdala should know everything

There is no evidence directly implicating Marcelo Abdala in the SUNCA mega fraud, but his name arises in the context due to his role in PIT-CNT and the accusations of the convicted former unionists who point to direct links with PCU. 

The investigation is ongoing, and the Prosecutor's Office has strong suspicions that other PCU union bureaucrats are involved in the mega fraud. 

It is impossible that Marcelo Abdala was not aware of all this.

He is a top-level unionist at PIT-CNT, and he knows the union's inner workings inside out for decades. A fraud of 1,200,000 dollars is something colossal.

It is more than obvious that Abdala was aware and deliberately concealed it. 

As a member of PCU and also of PIT-CNT, a fraud of gigantic proportions can't be easily concealed. 

It would be advisable for Marcelo Abdala to voluntarily appear before the Prosecutor's Office and explain to Prosecutor Rodríguez everything he knows about the matter.