Sunca Case: Finance Secretary's Defense to Present Bank Account Information to Prosecutor

Laura Alberti, the Finance Secretary of Uruguay's construction union, Sunca, appeared before prosecutors to answer questions regarding alleged irregularities within the Housing Fund for Construction Workers (Fosvoc) and a separate complaint about "solidarity hours."

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the defense of Alberti committed to presenting the detail of the accounts to which her client had access, who else managed them, etc.

During her approximately two-hour testimony, Alberti addressed two cases being handled by prosecutor Gilberto Rodríguez's team. Regarding the Fosvoc case, Alberti's defense attorney committed to providing details about the bank accounts her client had access to and who else managed them, according to sources familiar with the case. The Fosvoc investigation has already led to several convictions, with prosecutors identifying three main schemes used to illicitly divert funds. These involved a former employee, Stella Rey, who allegedly transferred money to about ten financial "mules," some of whom were union members. Additionally, "special" and "mirror" accounts were reportedly used to siphon money designated for others. Union leaders Bruno Bertolio, Víctor Rivero, and Santiago Bernaola were convicted for their roles in these operations.

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the operations mentioned allowed to give 'account that, at least since 2023, a modus operandi aimed at financing activities had been established habitually'.

Prosecutors had previously indicated that these operations suggested a customary modus operandi to finance activities since at least 2023. Bertolio, Rivero, and Bernaola implicated Alberti in their testimonies, with one even claiming she gave orders. Alberti, however, maintains her innocence, stating that no evidence directly links her to the case beyond these testimonies. Her lawyer will submit information about the approximately nine accounts she held. The investigation suggests that Fosvoc associates were affected by these irregularities, with losses estimated at around $1 million.

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there is nothing that links me to this case beyond these testimonies.

Initially, investigators considered the possibility that some of the misappropriated funds might have financed the campaign of the Communist Party of Uruguay (PCU). Alberti, who also served as Finance Secretary for the PCU, firmly denied this, asserting that her roles in both organizations were entirely independent. In the second part of her testimony, Alberti addressed the "solidarity hours" complaint. This system involves unionized workers donating one hour of their pay to the family of a deceased colleague who died due to a work accident. Companies collect these donations and forward them to Sunca. The issue arose when a worker died in January 2025, triggering the compensation mechanism, but discrepancies were found after the donation was received.

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the irregularities in Fosvoc affected the associates by about US$ 1 million.