A former leader of Maldonado’s local board took off for Argentina. This happened Wednesday morning, around 10:00 AM. He left just hours before a key court hearing. That hearing was about a case investigating him for misusing public money. Now, a court order limits his movement.
Alexandro Infante did not show up for the hearing. His lawyers were there, but the court still declared him a fugitive. A judge ordered his arrest immediately. Two other former presidents, José Luis Sánchez and Darwin Correa, are also part of this case. They all belong to the National Party.
Authorities accused Sánchez and Correa of fraud. They also faced charges for official falsification of documents by a public official. The court took away their travel papers. They cannot leave the country for 90 days. Both must report to their local police station every week. The Electoral Court will also receive notice of these charges.
The National Party acted quickly. It suspended the party rights for all three former presidents. Darwin Correa’s lawyer, Álvaro Garcé, disagreed with the investigation’s official start. He plans to appeal this decision. Garcé firmly believes his client is innocent of any crime. Yet, he did agree with the court’s choice. They decided not to put Correa in jail or under house arrest.
Investigators said the accused made and approved fake invoices. These invoices ranged from 115,000 to 175,000 pesos each. The Maldonado Departmental Board lost a lot of money. The total damage was 1,474,313 pesos.
The scheme involved a real company. This company was supposed to do maintenance for the board. But it never actually did the work. Instead, the money from these fake jobs went to José Luis Sánchez’s son’s bank account. His son then sent the money to his father.