At least twelve judges and six prosecutors They intervened in the last six months following the maneuver devised by the lawyers of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) to dilute the scandal. The objective was to concentrate all the evidence in a “friendly” judge, who never moved forward with specific accusations and even annulled sensitive evidence against Claudio Tapia and Pablo Toviggino. The case for Pilar’s mansion became a sponge that absorbed other files. In between, six months were lost.
“They managed to iron out everything until the World Cup, for them it is a half defeat,” reasons one of the lawyers who followed the battle from the first day. 24 hours before the start of the World Cup, a court put things in their place: The case will finally return to the Economic Criminal jurisdiction. The ruling clears up any speculation: The transfer should be done “urgently.” And the investigation will be in charge of the judge Maria Veronica Stracciawith good background. Without a doubt, it is bad news for the AFA leaders.
The play had started on December 29, just a few hours after LA NACION revealed the maneuver to divert AFA funds abroad through the company TourProdEnterbased in Miami. On the 30th, the last business day of the year, the federal judge of Campana, Adrián González Charvayasked the judge to run Marcelo Aguinskywhich was advanced with test measures. By then, the luxury mansion had already been raided.
González Charvay advanced despite the opinion of a prosecutor who told him otherwise. Why so much haste? The objective was for the review body to be the Federal Chamber of San Martín. The maneuver had to overcome another obstacle: it fell on a fair waiter and they had to wait for the end of another “friendly” judge’s vacation. Alberto Lugones, a historical ally of Kirchnerism in the Judicial Council. The chambermaid agreed with the lawyers of Toviggino’s alleged front men and sent the case to Campana.
From that moment the second phase of the maneuver began. In silence, Charvay annexed other sensitive causes that bordered on the interests of the AFA. The first trophy was a case that federal judge Luis Armella had, who cleared the businessman’s case Javier Faroni and the AFA headquarters. In this way, contracts were obtained with the company TourProdEnter that allowed it to collect at least 30% of the AFA’s income abroad, almost without controls. The first, in 2021, and then a renewal, very suspicious, in October 2025, when the link was still valid for another year.
The Campana judge also absorbed the Santiago del Estero case, where the prosecutor Pedro Simon requested the arrests of Tapia and Toviggino and analyzed in depth the network of companies of the AFA treasurer. He was removed at a stroke with the help of a federal judge from that province, very close to the former governor. Gerardo Zamora.
The plan of the lawyers roaming around the AFA bosses had some setbacks. Charvay could not annex the case being carried out by the judge Paula Petazzi and the prosecutor Silvana Russi in the ordinary criminal jurisdiction. In that file are all the evidence that arrived from the United States. There are more than 3,000 pages with dozens of transfers authorized by Faroni and his wife, Erica Gillettewho continue traveling around the world as if nothing had happened. LA NACION detected that the maneuver would exceed the US$57 million, with 10 shell companies involved. Almost all created by Argentine citizens who traveled to Miami and lent their identity. Due to this million-dollar fraud, the alleged preceding crime of money laundering that is being investigated in the mansion case, no one has yet been summoned to testify.
In these six months, Judge Campana ordered accounting expertise – a common measure to buy time – but never made any progress on the heads of the AFA. However, he was very quick to annul as evidence a pendrive with the content of the cell phone Juan Pablo BeaconToviggino’s former right-hand man. Chats, documents and even videos with wads of dollars emerged from that phone.
Beacon was suddenly called silent. Did you settle with your ex-employers or are you collaborating with United States prosecutors?
The Chamber was forceful when evaluating Charvay’s performance. “So far there has been no progress regarding the procedural situation of any accused, nor have any procedural acts been arranged that determine a situation of significant progress in the process,” said this Friday the two Economic Penal chambers who welcomed the Government’s decision to stop the charges. Alejandro Catania and Juan Pedro Galvan Greenway to complete the court. The argument, at least the one that emerged, was that the candidates had ties to Tapia and Toviggino.
That same court must confirm or revoke the prosecution of Judge Diego Amarante in the evasion case. “There are communicating vessels with representatives of the ruling party,” they acknowledge in Courts when asked about the two chambermaids. These bridges do not necessarily have an office in the Casa Rosada. The same sources, however, acknowledge that the Government stopped actively intervening in the AFA scandal since the arrival of Juan Bautista Mahiques to the Ministry of Justice.
Due to the maneuver deployed by the AFA, the case wandered to the judge Daniel Rafecasthe judge Marcelo Aguinskythe Federal Chamber (in Comodoro Py), that of San Martín, the Cassation Chamber, the Economic Criminal Chamber, and all the prosecutors of those instances. The account reaches twelve judges and at least six prosecutors. Only the Supreme Court was missing. Added to this are at least six cases that are being processed in parallel in other courts.
Charvay’s departure did not surprise the Courts. The formal argument for the change of jurisdiction was that the company Real Central, alleged owner of the mansion valued at US$ 17 million, resides in the city of Buenos Aires. Also in that district, the last deed was made in 2024. “What is important cannot be the location of the property in question, but rather the place in which the maneuver linked to the acquisition would have been carried out,” explained the chambermaids.
The Campana judge was notified the same Friday and this Tuesday he should deliver the entire package of cases and the attached files. Tapia and Toviggino’s lawyers will continue to battle in the Court of Cassation, with fewer and fewer chances.
With the change of court, the third since the scandal began, several questions arise. Will Judge Straccia take over the investigation or will she delegate it to prosecutor Claudio Navas Rial, the same one who intervened in the evasion case? What will happen to the other cases that had been annexed, such as the one being processed in Santiago del Estero? Prosecutor Simón is waiting for a signal to resume the investigation.
The most skeptical affirm that the maneuver to delay the case was effective. “No matter how much momentum it has now, dozens of evidence have already been deleted, no phone or computer is useful six months later,” lamented one of the lawyers who closely follow the plot. The only thing that is intact is the evidence provided by five US banks. There are dozens of transfers and recipients identified.
In the Immigrant Courts, around the corner from Comodoro Py, Straccia’s background stands out at this time. “It is incorruptible and with good technical background,” they assure. But they notice another problem: he is in charge of court 10 until the end of the year. In any case, all the sources consulted admit that another story has already started.
Everything happens in the middle of the World Cup, with Tapia in the United States, more attentive to the movements of three local prosecutors. His second in the AFA, for now, did not ask for permission to get on the plane.
