Óscar Andrade one step away from prosecution over major scam in Sunca

Oscar Andrade is implicated in the Sunca mega scam, the construction workers' union, always led by the Communist Party (PCU). 

The senator from Frente Amplio and former main leader of Sunca for many years has been mentioned in connection with an investigation into the embezzlement of funds from the Construction Workers' Social Housing Fund (FOSVOC).

This involves 1,200,000dollars that were looted from the fund by Communist Party union members.

The figure is not speculation; it was confirmed at a press conference by the case's prosecutor, Gilberto Rodríguez.

For now, the PCU legislator from list 1001 is not formally charged. However, prosecutor Rodríguez indicated that it is almost certain he will summon him to give a statement at the prosecutor's office.

Who implicated Andrade?

Those who named the current Frente Amplio senator at the prosecutor's office were his own PCU colleagues.

The three former union members Santiago Bernaola, Bruno Bertolio, and Víctor Rivero, criminally convicted in June for crimes such as embezzlement, fraud, and criminalassociation, stated in their testimonies before the Prosecutor's Office that Andrade and deputy Daniel Diverio had full knowledge of the fraudulent schemes that involved more than 1,200,000 dollars.

In other words, those accusing him are his own colleagues from the Party and the union who have known him for many years.

Prosecutor Rodríguez is considering summoning Andrade and Diverio for administrative statements, but clarified that, only for now, they are not formally charged or under investigation at this stage.

Diverio is currently a deputy for PCU and was also a unionbureaucrat at Sunca for many years. 

Hiring of attorney Gonzalo Fernández

It has also emerged that both Andrade and Diverio will be represented by attorney Gonzalo Fernández, who was Tabaré Vázquez's right-hand man, a member of the Socialist Party, and is one of the most expensive attorneys in Uruguay.

Prosecutor Rodríguez was for several years an assistant to Gonzalo Fernández in the Criminal Law Department at the Faculty of Law of the University of the Republic. 

At least in the university setting, Rodríguez was a subordinate of Gonzalo Fernández.

Andrade, property tax evader

As already reported by La Derecha Diario, the current Frente Amplio senator evaded paying property tax to the Canelones municipality for at least 10 years.

The offense came to light on the television program Santo y Seña, hosted by journalist Ignacio Álvarez, which revealed that Andrade went a decade without paying the property tax on his impressive chalet in the resort of San Luis, in Canelones.

He also did not pay the required workers' contributions to the BPS, nor did he pay for the plans for the chalet as he should have. 

Even though he enjoyed a senator's salary of about $450,000 per month, he claimed he had no money and that is why he did not pay the property tax.

The question is, who pays Gonzalo Fernández's fees?

If he did not have enough to pay the property tax, or to pay the BPS, or to pay for the plans for his chalet, where does he get the money to pay one of the country's most expensive attorneys?

Meanwhile, if he is sure of his innocence, why did he hire such an expensive professor?

He could have contacted a jurist with more modest fees.

Fernández charges extremely high professional fees, and it is perfectly reasonable for him to do so because he is a great attorney. What is strange is that two legislators from a "workers' party" like Andrade and Diverio would hire him.

The Judicial Recess will take place from July 1 to July 15. 

Afterwards, it is very likely that prosecutor Rodríguez will summon both Andrade and Diverio to the prosecutor's office.

Political responsibility 

Beyond any potential criminal liability, there is a political ethic that can't be ignored.

Óscar Andrade was for many years the main union leader at Sunca. It is more than obvious that he knew the situation perfectly and that he concealed it for a long time.

It is not valid to say that he did not know what was going on. He was at Sunca and was the one making the main decisions.

Daniel Diverio, current PCU deputy, was also a very senior leader of the construction workers' union.

It is evident that he also knew about this mega corruptionscam and concealed it for a long time.  

Everything is very dark and murky.