More than two years after the indictment and more than a year since the Public Prosecutor's Office filed formal charges, the case concerning the leak of confidential and manipulated reports from the Secretariat for the Prevention of Money Laundering (Seprelad) remains virtually frozen. The proceedings involve former high-ranking officials of Mario Abdo Benítez's government and have yet to move past the initial screening phase to advance to oral trial.
On March 11, 2025, the Public Prosecutor's Office filed the charges and requested the case be elevated to oral trial. At that time, prosecutors concluded the investigation and submitted a final request accompanied by more than 200 pieces of evidence. The next step would have been the preliminary hearing, where a judge reviews the evidence and decides whether there are sufficient grounds to open oral proceedings. However, that stage never materialized: to this day, no date has been set for the hearing.
The reason is a series of appeals filed by the defendants' legal teams, which have sent the case to higher courts. The latest procedural maneuver targeted the members of the Court of Appeals, leading the case to be referred to the Supreme Court of Justice, where it awaits resolution.
The Public Prosecutor's Office charged Carlos Arregui, Arnaldo Giuzzio, René Fernández, Carmen Pereira, Guillermo Preda, and Francisco Pereira with alleged criminal association, disclosure of official secrets, usurpation of public functions, and false denunciation. Daniel Farías was initially part of the case but died last March without facing justice.
Separately, former President Mario Abdo Benítez and his former secretary, current deputy Mauricio Espínola, remain in a different procedural situation. Both were indicted by prosecutors Aldo Cantero and Giovanni Grisetti in March 2024 but enjoy immunity due to their jurisdictional privileges.
The case originated from the leak of classified Seprelad information. Documents were allegedly tampered with and used to persecute political opponents of the Abdo Benítez government. According to the Prosecutor's Office, there was a coordinated scheme of misuse of sensitive information generated by state agencies. To date, none of those responsible have been punished.