La Derecha Diario Oscar Andrade was accused by the prosecutor's office of involvement in the Sunca scam.
The senator from the Communist Party was accused by several union members of the construction union
In December 2024, serious irregularities were detected at FOSVOC (Social Housing Fund for Construction Workers) after the financial manager, Stella Rey, went on leave, when her replacement identified suspicious transactions.
An internal audit revealed unauthorized transfers of approximately 900,000dollars (about $35.6 million pesos (78,485 pounds) and 17,500 dollars) between February and November 2024 to 14 third-party accounts, unrelated to the Fund's benefits.
Criminal complaint
On January 28, 2025, FOSVOC filed a criminal complaint with the Office of the Attorney General for possible crimes of embezzlement, criminalconspiracy, and fraud.
Two former SUNCA leaders, Víctor Rivero (former secretary of the social area in Montevideo) and Santiago Bernaola (former member of the organization secretariat), received transfers.
Both, along with Juan Ortiz, were expelled from the union on March 18, 2025, for violating principles of honesty and solidarity.
All those mentioned were or are members of the Communist Party.
Union leaders' arrests
On June 11, 2025, three former SUNCA members were arrested as part of the judicial investigation into the multimillion-dollar embezzlement.
Several detained union leaders mentioned Communist Party senator ÓscarAndrade (former SUNCA secretary general for years) and the deputy, also a communist, DanielDiverio (current SUNCA leader) in their statements to the Prosecutor's Office.
They suggested that both Andrade and Diverio had full knowledge of the massive fraud but concealed it.
Irregular financing of the Communist Party
Several stated that the funds may have financed campaigns of the Communist Party in 2024 and 2025.
Specifically, that with illicit money the Communist Party financed the internal and national electoral campaigns of 2024 and the departmental and municipal electoral campaigns of 2025.
For now, only for now, Andrade is not formally charged.
Union darkness
Sunca, always led by the Communist Party, has always had murky management of its money.
It collects millions every month from its members' contributions, but when it comes to managing its finances, everything is dark, opaque, very murky.
When, in union assemblies, a worker demands accountability for the finances, he is blatantly ignored.
This Thursday, June 12, the weekly Búsqueda reported that union leaders Bruno Bertolio, Santiago Bernaola, and Víctor Rivero were arrested yesterday, Wednesday the 11th, as part of the investigation into irregularities in the management of the Fund's money being conducted by the Economic and Complex Crimes Prosecutor's Office of the 3rd shift.
The three detainees had already been expelled months earlier by the union, after confirming their involvement in unauthorized transfers. All three were active members of the Communist Party.
What about Andrade and Diverio?
Both Óscar Andrade and Daniel Diverio are currently legislators, senator and deputy respectively.
Both know Sunca perfectly well, having been involved for many years. Ignoring the issue or responding evasively when questioned about the matter is not enough.
Andrade and Diverio must face the public and must explain this massive fraud that harms thousands of working families.
The victims of these fraudulent schemes by Communist Party union leaders are humble construction workers.
They are working men who often struggle to make ends meet and who were deceived in good faith.
Andrade, tax evader
It is worth recalling that the current senator owns a chalet in the San Luis resort in Canelones, and a journalistic investigation by the television program Santo y Seña determined that he did notpay the corresponding taxes.
His public conduct is highly reprehensible.
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