Former governor José Alperovich was sentenced to 16 years in prison

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Looking at the floor, lips pressed under his brown mustache and hands folded, the former governor of Tucumán José Jorge Alperovich He heard the sentence pronounced by the judge Juan Ramos Padilla tonight 16 years in prison for the crime of sexual abuse harming his other niece and former secretary. A few seconds later He was arrested from the court roomWhen? A court commissioner held his hand,

Alperovitch, in a blue suit with a white shirt and matching tie, was surrounded by his lawyers in a small courtroom. His children were in the next row, almost next to himand his wife, Beatriz Rojkes followed the reading of the verdict from a black screen via Zoom.The sexual abuse victim, identified in the lawsuit by her initials MFL, did the same.

Judge Ramos Padilla granted everything the prosecutor requested Sandro Abraldes: not only 16 years in prisonbut it also matches “Reparations” of the victim..The defence will appeal the conviction.

Ramos Padilla began reading the verdict at 8:10 p.m., after warning that he would clear the room if there were exclamations. There he mentioned that Alperovitch was convicted as its author Three counts of sexual abuse, two of attempted sexual abuse and six other counts of aggravated sexual abuse Since he had physical access to certain parts of her body, his penis, through three routes, and in the first case with his fingers, vaginally, anally and orally.” The rawness of the story left the room in silence,

The judge said the abuse occurred within the framework of a Bullying relationshipwhere the former senator was abused by his former colleague because there was a relationship Dependence, power, and authority. The sentence expires on July 17, 2040. Alperovitch can appeal to the Federal Court of Cassation and the court. He will turn 70 next year, so he may ask to serve his sentence at home.

It is not common for a person sentenced to effective prison to remain in custody until the court has ordered him to be arrested. This is done when there is a risk that the accused may flee. The sentence is not final. This will happen when the court rejects his final appeal. Normally, one waits for that moment to order the arrest.

The reasons for the sentence will be revealed on August 16. Alperovic remained calm as the verdict was read, pressing his lips together and not dropping his hands.

The judge ordered his arrest and ordered the court commissioner at the building located at 1500 Paraguay Street to “Proceed without any fallback position”, The police officer dressed in civilian clothes held her arm, made her wear a blue coat, hugged her children and took her into custody on the way to the transit cell.,

At 9 p.m., motorcycles and mobile phones from the Federal Penitentiary Service arrived at the court to take him away. They arrived on the scene with lights and sirens and soldiers with shields entered the judicial building to remove the imprisoned former governor.

Last week, the prosecutor made a scathing closing argument Abraldes The case was defined as “a trial on the impunity of power” and asked that the former governor be punished 16 years and six months in prison. The prosecutor accused him of Repeated abuse on 10 occasions. The victim’s lawyer, the plaintiff, had requested the sentence 22 years in jail. Alperovitch’s defense, on the other hand, requested his acquittal and argued that the complaint had a political motive.

This Tuesday, Alperovitch had the opportunity to say his “last words” in front of the judge, but he refused to do so. It was a very brief hearing, starting at 1:15 p.m. and ending in less than 15 minutes. Alperovitch was not able to leave the court building until 8:10 p.m., when the verdict was read.

The prosecutor’s argument was harsh: “Alperovitch did not want her to work with him. I wanted it for bed.The concept is primitive. The feudal lord rules. You can’t argue with the big boss. You do what you want,” Abraldes said. The prosecutor was highly critical of what was happening in Tucumán society at the time of the events: “This trial is a Trial on impunity of power. She was in a surrender scenario. “In a state of captivity.”

“The victim felt like a prisoner and was at the mercy of the abuser,” he said, adding, “As several witnesses said, Alperovitch was always sexier”. Comparing Alperovich’s total power in his province to that of a feudal lord he said: “Alperovich was the creator of his own power. Everything happened as he wanted. He owned everything.” Ebraldes demanded that Alperovich pay him “Freedom on the move” Why did he do that?”

The former governor of Tucumán (he served three consecutive terms between 2003 and 2015) and former national senator is accused in the case Three acts of sexual abuse (two, attempted) and another six acts of sexual violence aggravated by physical access. The incidents took place in both Tucumán and Buenos Aires city.

Oral Criminal and Correctional Court No. 29 conducted the trial with the judge Ramos Padilla In person. Prosecutor Abraldes The Attorney General’s Office is temporarily in charge of the Oral Criminal and Correctional Court No. 27. The representatives of the complaint were Pablo Rovatti And Carolina Cimram,

Defending the former governor

Last week, Alperovich testified for seven hours before Ramos Padilla and denied abusing the young woman. “Absolutely nothing happened,” the former president of Tucumán said. “Don’t abuse Flor. That’s a lie. The truth is that I am a 70 year old man.“Said the accused, who commented: “This is a fabricated, armed trial, where I am going to explain to you clearly that it had an economic and political motive, I have no doubt about that.”

In his statement, the accused also denied having a close relationship with the complainant. “I never called her niece, nor did she call me uncle. Never. She wants to establish that I was a prostitute for a secretary. It’s all set up. For five years the press has been calling me a violin,” he said before the judge.

The evidence presented in the case includes, apart from the testimony of the victim, expert reports about her, testimony of people who had direct knowledge of her situation and the contents of the victim’s cell phone, including her messages.

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