Builder testifies signature forged in G. 1.199 billion Valenzuela fraud case

Testimony in the ongoing trial of Valenzuela's mayor, Mirtha Fernández, continues to implicate her in a massive corruption scheme involving approximately G. 1.199 billion. A construction worker, Adolfo Mendoza, testified that his signature was forged on documents used to process a G. 90 million check from the municipality, directly challenging the legitimacy of alleged payments for phantom projects.

Mendoza stated unequivocally that he never set foot in the Valenzuela district and was unaware of the check cashed in his name. He recounted being detained in Luque in 2023 and only then learning about an arrest warrant related to the case. His identity was linked to the check, but a forensic handwriting analysis confirmed that the signature was not his, leading to his acquittal. Mendoza explained he was working in Patagonia during the period the check was allegedly cashed and could not return in 2020 due to the pandemic.

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The identity number belongs to me, but the signature does not.

His testimony corroborates earlier claims by other witnesses, including an architect whose signature was also allegedly forged. These accounts suggest a systematic effort to create fraudulent documentation to justify the embezzlement of municipal funds. The prosecution alleges that payments were duplicated for work that was never completed, or in some cases, never even initiated.

Further evidence presented in court indicates that attempts to construct the alleged projects, such as paved roads and playgrounds, only began in 2021, after the investigation into the corruption scheme had already commenced. These belated efforts also involved significant municipal fund disbursements. The trial continues to unravel the alleged network of corruption involving Fernández and six other individuals accused in the case.

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I was not in the country. I went to work in Patagonia and the pandemic caught me there, so I couldn't return in 2020.