Representatives of businesses in Lambaré testified at the public trial of former Lambaré municipal mayor Armando Ramón Gómez Arévalo. They testified that they had regularly paid their municipal taxes, including by check.
According to the report, expert Sergio Benítez, hired during the municipal intervention amid signs of irregularities, testified before the trial court, and his expert report was presented as documentary evidence. The report identified 9,584 canceled receipts, 6,411 of which were considered suspicious because they lacked copies, supporting documents or recorded reasons for cancellation. The report says the suspicious cancellations amounted to more than G. 9 billion in total.
According to the report, Benítez said the receipts were canceled in the computerized system but not in the physical documents, where they continued to appear as paid. He concluded that there was “double bookkeeping” at the municipality.
The report also recounts that several taxpayers trying to pay their taxes were told they still owed amounts from the previous year. After presenting their receipts, they were found to have paid, but the amounts had not reached the municipal treasury. This finding concerns the reported payments and does not, by itself, establish that each of the 6,411 suspicious receipts corresponds to money diverted.
Gómez is accused of leading a scheme to divert more than G. 9 billion by canceling payment receipts belonging to taxpayers, both individuals and businesses. The proceedings will determine whether Gómez is responsible. The report identifies Sonia Notario as the municipality’s accountant.