Investigate alleged maneuvers with pay in the Navy and irregular payments of about $1.6 billion

The Argentine Navy has come under investigation for alleged irregularities in the processing of salaries, supplements and overtime, in a case that has already been brought before Federal Court No. 2 and that, according to both Ámbito and La Política Online, would amount to about $1.6 billion.

According to both outlets, the suspected scheme includes payments that would have continued after personnel were discharged or separated, as well as improper credits in salaries and additional payments. They also indicate that part of those funds may have ended up in private accounts.

According to Ámbito, seven officers provided testimony about a scheme that would include kickbacks, the use of retired personnel codes and even invented identities. That outlet also said that within the force some 25 people are mentioned, among officers and civilians, as being involved. La Política Online, by contrast, spoke of nearly 50 implicated individuals.

Ámbito said one hypothesis is that requests for funds were submitted for amounts higher than those needed to pay salaries, using CUIL numbers that would then not have sufficient oversight. That surplus, according to the testimonies cited by that outlet, would have been distributed among those involved.

La Política Online added that the criminal complaint was filed by the Navy’s head of financial services and mentioned among the names in the area Navy captain of supply Carlos Alberto Castro Maggio and Navy captain Guillermo Gabriel Orozco.

The Navy confirmed that, after detecting irregularities in the area responsible for processing salaries, an administrative proceeding was initiated and the judicial complaint was then filed to determine responsibilities. In internal messages cited by Ámbito and in a statement reproduced by La Política Online, the force and the Ministry of Defense stressed that there is