Argentina's Supreme Court Upholds Conviction for Prosecutor in Unsolved 2006 Murder Case

Argentina's Supreme Court has confirmed a six-year prison sentence for former prosecutor Carlos Albaca, who was found guilty of failing to fulfill his duties as a public official in the investigation of the 2006 murder of Paulina Lebbos in Tucumán.

Albaca was responsible for the investigation for seven years, a period during which the case saw little progress. Sources from the highest court indicated that Albaca established eight different hypotheses but failed to thoroughly investigate any of them, keeping the case file under summary secrecy. It wasn't until 2013 that Alberto Lebbos, Paulina's father, gained access to significant details following numerous requests.

“

Albaca had been in charge of the investigation into Lebbos's crime for seven years, during which time the case was practically paralyzed. According to what was determined, Albaca established eight different hypotheses, did not deepen the investigation of any of them, and kept the file under summary secrecy.

Paulina Lebbos, then 22 and a mother, disappeared on the night of February 26, 2006, after meeting her ex-boyfriend, César Soto. Her body was discovered on March 11, 2006, by police in Tucumán, caught in vegetation down a ravine. The body was identified three days later and showed signs of advanced decomposition, stab wounds, cigarette burns, and scalp detachment.

“

Twenty years of asking for an investigation, twenty years of protecting criminals, this is the justice we have in Tucumán.

The crime, which significantly impacted Tucumán's political circles two decades ago, remains officially unsolved. Recently, César Soto, the victim's ex-boyfriend, was acquitted due to reasonable doubt. Sergio Kaleñuk, son of the then-secretary to Governor José Alperovich, was also acquitted, despite not having been formally accused by the Public Prosecutor's Office.

Alberto Lebbos, Paulina's father, expressed his deep frustration with the justice system, stating, "Twenty years of asking for an investigation, twenty years of protecting criminals, this is the justice we have in Tucumán." He vowed to continue his fight for justice for his daughter, despite the court's decisions.

“

Keep protecting murderers. Now we will continue to insist.