Neuquén: Vice Governor Gloria Ruiz was dismissed for “moral inability”

The vice governor of Neuquén, Gloria Ruiz, She was removed from her position this Thursday, after having been suspended for “moral inability”in a session of the local Legislature, which approved its removal. Ruiz is accused of alleged irregularities in the administration of public funds. By the end of November she had been suspended from office and kicked out of her party.

The number two of the provincial Executive and her brother, Pablo Ruiz, They were accused of diverting public funds, following the movement of money detected in accounts of the Bank of the Province of Neuquén (BPN).

This Thursday’s debate in the Legislature of that province was chaired by Zulma Reina, first vice president of the Chamber. After more than five hours, ended with a vote of 30 votes in favorreaching the two-thirds necessary for dismissal. Ruiz did not attend the session, but his lawyers presented a defense that did not convince the majority of legislators.

The reasons for the dismissal of Gloria Ruiz as vice-governor of Neuquén

The investigation began in the course of this month, at the request of a publication by the newspaper “Río Negro” about an alleged fraudulent maneuver to the detriment of the public administration, through the appointment of personnel in the Legislature on behalf of Ruiz. Then, the BPN representative filed a complaint with the Economic Crimes Prosecutor’s Office for “s“situations linked to Mr. Pablo Antonio Ruíz.”

According to the complaint, the brother of the vice governor and coordinator of the House of Laws “received significant accreditations other than his assets from the Legislature for an amount of 29,854,350 pesos.” And he specifies that he made “cash withdrawals for 20,600,000 pesos.”

On November 28, one day after being suspended from office by a vote in the Legislature, the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF) of Neuquen expanded the investigation against Ruiz for the alleged crime of illicit enrichment and the alleged crimes of embezzlement and fraud against the public administration in the scope of the Legislature and the House of Laws.

The Neuquén Legislature dismissed Gloria Ruiz

The first speaker was Claudio Domínguez of the Neuquén Popular Movement (MPN)who focused on the breadth of the investigative process and highlighted that Ruiz had two opportunities to defend himself. The legislator questioned the former vice president’s attitude, describing it as “victimization.” He also criticized his attempt to “divert the focus” from the facts under investigation.

Domínguez stressed that Ruiz acknowledged having used his mother-in-law’s name to justify the purchase of a Toyota SW4 truck. For the MPN legislator, it was an action incompatible with the responsibilities of his position.

For his part, the deputy Francisco Lépore, of Advance, presented a detailed report with slides that exposed the irregularities detected, including irregular appointments, nepotism, direct hiring with markups and false asset declarations. He described as inadmissible the use of public funds for personal purposes, such as billboards and advertising campaigns that promoted Ruiz’s image.

One of the most controversial points was the management of public funds which, according to the investigation, involved suspicious transfers to the personal accounts of his brother, who worked as coordinator in the Provincial Legislature.

The PRO legislator, Marcelo Bermudez, stated that this situation reveals a “serious management deficit” and accused Ruiz of failing to tell the truth by denying knowledge about these transfers.

While Guillermo Monzani, from Hacemos Neuquén, defended the Secretary of the Chamber, Isabel Ricchini, who was singled out by Ruiz’s defense team. Monzani called her the “most qualified person on the team” and questioned attempts to put responsibilities on legislative workers.