23/06/2026 18:35 - Judiciales
In a landmark anti-corruption case, César Barbeito, former Minister of Education of Río Negro province, was intercepted by Airport Security Police at Bariloche International Airport on June 22, 2026. He was returning from a family vacation in Brazil when authorities detained him. He was immediately transferred to the Pomona prison facility to begin serving his sentence.
Francisco González, former Minister of Coordination, voluntarily surrendered at a police station after learning that Argentina's Supreme Court had rejected his final appeal. Both men must serve 3 years and 6 months of actual prison time for the crime of peculado (embezzlement of public funds).
For our international readers: Río Negro is a province in northern Patagonia, southern Argentina. It's famous for its apple and pear production, tourism destinations like Bariloche, and vast oil and gas reserves. The province has approximately 750,000 inhabitants and its capital is Viedma, though Bariloche is its most internationally recognized city.
Embezzlement (known in Argentina as peculado) is one of the most serious crimes against public administration. It occurs when government officials illegally appropriate or misuse public funds or property entrusted to their care. Under Argentina's Penal Code, this crime carries a prison sentence of 2 to 6 years.
This offense is particularly grave because it represents a direct violation of the public trust placed in state officials who manage taxpayer resources.
The investigation revealed that between 2004 and 2010, government officials implemented a scheme to pay themselves additional salaries using public funds. These bonuses were distributed discretionaly, without transparent criteria, and outside standard administrative channels.
The mechanism was simple yet effective at avoiding oversight: officials issued checks in their own names, which they then cashed directly at bank counters. This bypassed the standard payroll controls that apply to regular salary payments, making the extra payments virtually invisible to auditors.
The scheme was exposed by investigative journalism that revealed: "Month after month for seven years, the Secretary General of the Governor's Office and cabinet ministers under Governor Miguel Saiz have been receiving salary bonuses above their official compensation."
| Former Official | Position | Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| César Barbeito | Ex Minister of Education | 3 years 6 months (prison) |
| Francisco González | Ex Minister of Coordination | 3 years 6 months (prison) |
| Omar Contreras | Ex Secretary of Tourism | 2 years 6 months (suspended) |
| Cristina Uría | Ex Minister of Health | 2 years 6 months (suspended) |
| Juan Accatino | Ex Minister of Production | 2 years 6 months (suspended) |
| Alfredo Pega | Ex Minister of Social Development | 2 years 6 months (suspended) |
| Diego Larreguy | Ex Minister of Government | 2 years 6 months (suspended) |
| José Ongaro | Ex Provincial Treasurer | Conviction confirmed |
The case began with investigative journalism that exposed the systematic diversion of public funds. Here's how the judicial process unfolded:
The Supreme Court took six years to resolve the case that had reached its docket to potentially overturn the provincial court's decision.
All those convicted served in the cabinet during the two terms of Miguel Saiz as governor of Río Negro. Saiz, a member of the Unión Cívica Radical (UCR) — Argentina's traditional center-right reformist party, one of the oldest political parties in the country — governed the province from 2003 to 2011.
This case represents one of the largest corruption scandals in the political history of this Patagonian province, demonstrating that accountability mechanisms can eventually work, even when powerful figures are involved.
Sources: Infobae
Alfredo S. Quiroga
