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The UOCRA trade unionist Juan Pablo “Pata” Medina he asked the La Plata federal judge Ernesto Kreplak to call the former governor María Eugenia Vidal to investigate and that extend the accusation to former president Mauricio Macri in the case that began following the finding a video that showed how government officials, members of the Federal Intelligence Agency (AFI) and businessmen agreed to build cases once morest him.
Medina understands that the persecution once morest him began in early 2017 and by decision of Macri himself. The most eloquent indication that there was an armed group was provided on December 27 by the intervener Cristina Caamaño when she reported having found a video of a meeting that was held on June 15, 2017 at the Buenos Aires headquarters of Banco Provincia to resolve how to promote complaints once morest the leader of the UOCRA from La Plata. The footage was found on a hard drive that remained in the former SIDE.
Now, Medina demands that Judge Kreplak call for an investigation all those who were present at that meeting, starting with the then Minister of Labor Marcelo Villegas, and that Vidal be included. For the trade unionist, the former governor was the one who gave the order to prosecute him and have him arrested. Two other officials from Vidal’s cabinet were also at that meeting: the Undersecretary of Justice Adrián Grassi and the former Minister of Infrastructure Roberto Gigante. Along with the businessmen was also the provincial senator Juan Pablo Allan, the mayor of La Plata, Julio Garro, and three senior AFI officials: the operational director of Counterintelligence, Diego Dalmau Pereyra, the administrative director of Legal Affairs, Juan Sebastián de Stefano, and the head of Darío Biorci cabinet.
In addition, the leader of the construction workers in La Plata insists that the investigation should be extended to those who might have provided superior coordination. In this sense, it asks that Macri, the former directors of the AFI Gustavo Arribas and Silvia Majdalani, the former chief of staff of Buenos Aires Federico Salvai, the former Minister of Justice Gustavo Ferrari, the current attorney Julio Conte Grand and the leader of the UOCRA be investigated. national, Gerardo Martínez, who –according to Medina– colluded with Macri to get rid of him.
Medina’s lawyer, César Albarracín, reconstructed how the Banco Provincia meeting was reached, which became known thanks to the clandestine footage of the AFI that Caamaño found:
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On May 4, 2017, Villegas went to the Casa Rosada. He entered together with Arribas and inside was Macri, as published this diary. Villegas’ agenda confirms that information. That day, the then Buenos Aires Labor Minister scheduled a meeting with Macri, Transport Minister Guillermo Dietrich, Arribas, Security Minister Patricia Bullrich and Interior Minister Rogelio Frigerio.
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On May 22, 2017, Villegas had a meeting with Salvai, Ferrari and Gigante for the “UOCRA issue”.
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Four days later he met Gerardo Martínez and Gigante at the Banco Provincia headquarters.
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On June 12, 2017, Garro entered the AFI. That same day, Villegas scheduled a meeting with Grassi and with the deputy director general of the former SIDE Majdalani in Capital. It is likely that it is the same event.
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On June 14, 2017, Villegas met with the Undersecretary of Justice Grassi and with Allan, with whom he would meet once more the next day at Banco Provincia.
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On June 15, 2017, the meeting was held at Banco Provincia. There Villegas was enthusiastic regarding the formation of a “Gestapo” once morest the unions and explained how to put together the complaints once morest Medina. The meeting was recorded with AFI cameras, which were placed the day before by agency workers who had been accompanied by Dalmau Pereyra. The next day, the AFI technicians went to remove the equipment together with Biorci, According to Caamaño revealed to this newspaper. Everything had the approval of the Banco Provincia authorities, who freed that room for three days.
There were more meetings and in different locations, even in the Quinta de Olivos between Macri, Villegas – who entered with the name of “Manuela” – and Arribas. That face to face happened in 2018, when what was at stake was not the arm wrestling with the construction workers but the teaching parity. “The officials involved met systematically to carry out actions related to the UOCRA La Plata,” Medina highlighted in his letter.
On Thursday, the former governor and current national deputy Vidal denied that her government was setting up cases in an interview with Radio 10. “(Medina) was imprisoned because there was plenty of evidence of his participation in a case of money laundering and illicit association,” said Vidal.
The first judge who ordered the arrest was the federal magistrate of Quilmes, Luis Armella, who, according to Medina, He met on -at least- four occasions with Villegas. Two of those encounters happened before Medina was arrested. On October 18, 2017, it was the third, when Medina was already in prison. That same day, Darío Nieto, Macri’s private secretary, noted on his phone: “VILLEGAS, judge of Quilmes wants to speak with MM in private”. The judge would have also established communications with Grassi and De Stefano, according to what emerges from the exchange of calls.
If the prosecutor Ana Russo and Judge Kreplak expand the investigation into Macri, that of the “Gestapo” would be the second file in which his contribution to espionage during his government is directly investigated. The former president is being prosecuted for having ordered to spy on the relatives of the 44 crew members of the ARA San Juan, the submarine that sank in November 2017.