Court Decision
Argentina's Supreme Court has made final the eight-year prison sentence against Sergio Urribarri, who served two terms as governor of Entre Ríos and later as ambassador to Israel. The conviction covers charges of illicit enrichment and incompatible negotiations with public office. The ruling also imposes a lifelong ban on holding public positions.[S1][S2][S3]
Justices Horacio Rosatti, Carlos Rosenkrantz, and Ricardo Lorenzetti dismissed the extraordinary appeal filed by Urribarri's defense as inadmissible, applying Article 280 of the National Civil and Commercial Procedural Code, which allows rejection without detailed reasoning. Similar appeals from other convicted individuals were also rejected, except for a formal issue in the case of Gustavo Tamay.[S1][S2][S3]
Background of the Case
Urribarri was initially convicted on April 7, 2022, by the Trial and Appeals Court of Paraná. The investigation covered five main cases, including the awarding of state advertising contracts to the company Global Means before it legally existed, and the alleged manipulation of public advertising funds through shell companies and front men, benefiting his brother-in-law Juan Pablo Aguilera.[S1][S2][S3]
Other investigated events include the installation of a beach resort in Mar del Plata in 2015, costing 14 million pesos at the time, and payments to the production company Nelly Entertainment for three spots seemingly related to the 2014 Mercosur Summit in Paraná, which were allegedly used to promote Urribarri's presidential candidacy for 2015.[S1][S2][S3]
Other Convictions and Legal Process
In the same trial, former Minister of Culture and Communication Pedro Báez and Juan Pablo Aguilera were each sentenced to six years in prison. Other defendants received lesser sentences: Corina Elizabeth Cargnel, Gustavo Rubén Tamay, and Gerardo Daniel "Foia" Caruso got three years suspended; Luciana Belén Almada and Emiliano Giacopuzzi received two years and six months conditional; and Germán Esteban Buffa got one year and two months conditional.[S1][S2]
The conviction was confirmed in 2023 by the Entre Ríos Cassation Court, and the provincial Superior Court of Justice rejected defense appeals. Urribarri was detained for 50 days after a preventive prison order in November 2024, but this was revoked in January 2025. Now, prosecutors are requesting his imprisonment, and he is expected to serve his full sentence, with only the two months already served deducted.[S1][S3][S5]
