Bribery trial faces significant delays as witness testimonies lag

The "Cuadernos de las Coimas" (Notebooks of Bribes) trial, which investigates a alleged bribery scheme involving former officials from Argentina's Ministry of Federal Planning, is facing considerable delays.

The Federal Oral Court 7 (TOF 7), responsible for the proceedings, had scheduled 43 witness testimonies for May. However, by the end of the month, only seven witnesses had actually appeared and testified. Judicial sources attribute this to various circumstances that have disrupted the planned schedule, leading to what they describe as an "inevitable delay in the process."

The case, which counts former President Cristina Kirchner among its principal defendants, has a lengthy witness list. A total of 441 witnesses have been accepted to testify before the tribunal, composed of judges Enrique Méndez Signori, Fernando Canero, and Germán Castelli. The testimonies are proposed by the Public Prosecutor's Office, the plaintiff represented by the Financial Information Unit (UIF), and the defense teams for the 86 accused individuals.

Legal professionals acknowledge that the slow pace is partly due to the sheer number of parties involved and the nature of testimonial evidence. Some witnesses may be withdrawn if their testimony is deemed redundant or unnecessary for a defense strategy. However, with 86 defendants, coordinating and processing these testimonies is inherently complex. Judge Méndez Signori often acts as an "arbiter" during hearings, managing disputes between prosecution and defense over the relevance of certain questions, which further consumes time. With typically only two hearings scheduled per week, and some witnesses requiring extensive questioning due to interest from multiple defense teams, the court is struggling to keep pace. For instance, the testimonies of former Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna, financier Jorge Leonardo Fariña, and former national deputy Mariana de Jesús Zuvic have already been rescheduled three times.