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Legislature irregularities embarrass Córdoba Peronists
🇦🇷 Argentina /Elections & Politics

Legislature irregularities embarrass Córdoba Peronists

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • The unicameral legislature in Córdoba, Argentina, faces scrutiny over a series of irregularities, including a "ghost employee" scandal.
  • An official was arrested for attempting to collect the salary of a woman who claimed she never worked there.
  • Investigations are ongoing into hiring practices, with concerns that positions may be used to reward political allies.

Córdoba's unicameral legislature has become a source of discomfort for the provincial Peronist party due to a string of incidents that undermine its image of transparency. Governor Martín Llaryora has called for a thorough judicial investigation into the matters. The first major blow during his administration involved a "ghost employee" case in January 2025, where a former Peronist councilman, Guillermo Kraisman, was arrested for trying to collect the salary of a woman listed as a contractor for the legislature, despite her asserting she never worked there.

Testimony suggested Kraisman's appointment was linked to ruling party legislator Nadia Fernández, who distanced herself from the hiring when questioned by judicial authorities. This case sparked debate about whether it was an isolated incident or indicative of a broader system for distributing positions to political figures and their associates. Subsequently, the legislature released a list of 1055 contractors, revealing names of relatives of political leaders, former mayors, and party representatives across various parties. Approximately $1 billion pesos monthly was allocated for this personnel, many listed as legislative assistants without clear job descriptions.

there are no ghost contractors

— Myrian PrunottoThe Vice Governor addressed concerns about hiring practices within the legislature.

Vice Governor Myrian Prunotto stated that there are no "ghost contractors," attributing hires to individual legislators and noting Fernández had requested the termination of the contract in question due to the woman's non-attendance. She asserted that a general review did not uncover similar cases. However, recent judicial developments have again implicated the legislature. During an investigation into grooming and sexual abuse allegations in Villa de María del Río Seco, authorities discovered that one of the accused, José Aníbal Ricardo Villarreal, served as an advisor to ruling party legislator Ramón "Cañito" Flores. Flores reportedly reacted to the arrest and accusations against his advisor.

Fernández had asked for the termination because the woman did not attend work

— Myrian PrunottoThe Vice Governor explained the status of the specific contract that led to the 'ghost employee' scandal.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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