Over $100 million in irregularities reported in Entre Ríos school cafeterias

An internal audit has uncovered significant financial irregularities exceeding 100 million Argentine pesos in the school cafeteria programs of 37 schools in Concordia, Entre Ríos. The discrepancies, identified during March and April 2025, stem from inconsistencies between invoices submitted for expenses and the delivery receipts for goods actually provided to the schools.

Lautaro Azzalini, the Director of School Cafeterias for Entre Ríos, explained that the audit revealed a mechanism potentially involving the former coordinator of Concordia's cafeterias, local businesses, and cardholders. According to Azzalini, the former coordinator allegedly arranged for funds to be held by a business, which would then manage and distribute the money to the schools. This system created a gap between the invoiced amounts and the actual delivered goods, as confirmed by school signatures on the receipts.

“

The former coordinator had an arrangement with a business and cardholders to leave all the funds in the business, and the business would manage the money and deliver it to the schools.

The provincial authorities suspect that a portion of the funds remained with the businesses and was later distributed among those involved. This allegation is now part of a criminal investigation being conducted by the Concordia judiciary. The initial audit identified a difference of over 103 million pesos, with subsequent analysis extending the estimated inconsistencies to approximately 146 million pesos across a broader period.

The case was formally reported to the judiciary under the charge of alleged embezzlement. The prosecutor's office is actively investigating, having requested detailed information on administrative personnel involved in the Concordia Cafeteria Coordination. The findings were documented in Resolution No. 267 of the Ministry of Human Development, dated June 13, 2025, which initiated a preliminary inquiry to determine potential civil, patrimonial, and administrative responsibilities.

“

Therein lay the difference between what was invoiced and what was actually delivered.