The president of the National Congress, Colorado senator Basilio “Bachi” Núñez, adds another legal problem. On Tuesday, the Specialized Unit in Economic Crimes and Anti-Corruption (UDEA) received an expansion of the criminal complaint against the lawmaker, detailing alleged systematic favoritism toward relatives, focusing on the case of his niece Berenice Ayelén Sosa Cabrera.
According to the document presented by lawyer Francisco Rubén Penayo Almada, the young woman joined the Upper House in October 2023 at age 18, with only a high school diploma, initially assigned to her uncle's office with a salary of G. 4,500,000. After Núñez took office as president of Congress in July 2024, the meteoric reclassifications began.
First, she was promoted to “Professional I,” with earnings of G. 7,100,000. Six months later, in January 2025, a new raise set the monthly salary at G. 9,500,000 — an accumulated increase of 111% in a short period.
The expansion confirms evidence of breach of trust and improper fee collection, but adds the criminal charge of self-dealing (Article 8 of Law No. 2,523/2004). The complainant argues that Núñez used his powers as expenditure authorizer to financially benefit his inner circle, estimating a loss to the public treasury of about G. 370,000,000 by the end of the legislative term in 2028.
The complaint, already filed with the Public Prosecutor's Office, requests urgency in issuing an official request to the Senate to send the employee's complete record — including biometric time stamps — and that the Comptroller General's Office provide the young woman's asset declarations, in order to verify whether there was actual consideration compatible with the amounts received.