Uruguay
Gonzalo Gómez said he was unaware of Pablo Leiva’s crimes and admitted an error in hiring him
The National Party councilor said he brought in Pablo Leiva on the recommendation of his son Lucio and maintained that he was “abused” in his trust. He also apologized to his party for the impact of the case.
The National Party councilor Gonzalo Gómez gave a press conference this Monday to address the situation generated after Pablo Leiva’s conviction for money laundering in the framework of Operation Trazador.
Gómez said he was completely unaware of the illicit activities for which Leiva was convicted and stated that he hired him based on the recommendation of Lucio Leiva, the now-convicted man’s son, with whom he had a personal and trusting relationship. In that context, he acknowledged that he should have acted with greater caution given that it was a public responsibility.
As he explained, Pablo Leiva’s link to his office fell within the contracts that the Montevideo Departmental Board authorizes for councilors’ work. He also noted that these were not necessarily advisory tasks, but also administrative functions. Caras y Caretas reported that Gómez stressed: “He is not my adviser”.
According to Gómez, Pablo Leiva had no assigned tasks and did not carry out any concrete functions. He said he was paid a salary, recorded in the Departmental Board’s accounts, in the amount of $52,000 gross. He added that during those months his priorities were focused on other matters and that most of the dealings were handled through Lucio Leiva.
Regarding Lucio Leiva’s situation, Gómez said he decided to step down from his post and from the National Party so as not to affect the party. The councilor said he valued that decision and stressed that the Prosecutor’s Office and Police had ruled him out of the investigation.
In relation to Jorge Gandini and the Por la Patria sector, Gómez said that neither the leader nor his group knew Pablo Leiva beyond his status as Lucio Leiva’s father. He also denied that Pablo Leiva militated in list 250, belonged to another list or was part of the National Party.
The councilor added that he made himself available to the National Party and that he spoke with the president of the Board, Álvaro Delgado, in addition to appearing before the party’s Political Affairs Committee. There he communicated Lucio Leiva’s departure and that, while the matter remained under discussion, he understood that it was not appropriate to join the party’s Board as a youth representative.
Gómez apologized to his party and his group for the damage caused to credibility and honor, but said there were no grounds to resign his seat as councilor.
Caras y Caretas also reported that Gómez placed Pablo Leiva’s incorporation in December 2025, after the departure of a person from his secretariat for personal reasons. That outlet also noted that the councilor said he had focused his work on matters such as the departmental budget, the Intendencia’s extra-budgetary loans and the Rendición de Cuentas.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not do its own reporting on this event.
