Argentina: Milani not guilty in purchase of mansion above his paygrade

Friday, September 30th 2022 - 09:46 UTC

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Milani has been acquitted in all the other cases filed against him since he went into retirement

Former Argentine Army Chief of Staff General César Milani has been acquitted in the case of “illicit enrichment” filed against him for being unable to justify how he had managed to afford a luxurious residence in a most exclusive area north of Buenos Aires on his military officer's pay.

The decision favoring Milani was made by Federal Oral Court 7 Judges Enrique Méndez Signori and Fernando Canero, with Germán Castelli casting a partially dissenting vote that would not change the outcome.

Prosecutor Fabiana León had requested a three-year suspended prison sentence, the seizure of his house in the uptown neighborhood of La Horqueta, and an embargo of US$ 200,000 against the man who was Army Chief between 2013 and 2015 under President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (CFK).

Castelli argued that illicit enrichment had not been proven but he found that Milani had nevertheless maliciously falsified his affidavit regarding his assets.

This trial began in July and over 60 witnesses were heard.

Before the verdict was known, Milani admitted that “I may have incurred in numerous administrative omissions in affidavits, some of them even innocent. Administrative omissions and lack of declarations of assets in the AFIP, due to the death of my parents there was an inheritance for ten years. The omissions were normal in my family, where there was a lack of order in this regard. This in no way can tarnish my correct attitude in the performance of my duties.”

So far, Milani has been acquitted in all the other cases filed against him since he went into retirement.