MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Former Argentine minister incarcerated in train crash case

De Vido's request for house arrest is to be ruled upon in the coming days

Julio De Vido, Argentina’s former Federal Planning Minister under the Kirchner administrations, was formally detained Thursday at the Comodoro Py courthouse to begin serving a four-year prison sentence for his role in the 2012 Once train disaster.

De Vido, 75, arrived at 8.05 am at the courthouse alongside his son and proceeded into the building without addressing the press. Judge Ricardo Basílico oversaw the formal detention process. Authorities recorded his data and fingerprints, and informed him that his sentence will conclude on November 12, 2029.

He was later transferred to the Ezeiza Penitentiary for medical evaluation. Other inmates at that facility include former secretaries Ricardo Jaime (Transport) and José López (Public Works).

Following his processing, De Vido was required to attend—via videoconference—a session of the ongoing “Corruption Notebooks” trial, where he stands accused alongside former President Cristina Kirchner. His request to be excused from the hearing was denied, and he remained in the courtroom with his legal team for over five hours.

It was De Vido’s second incarceration, but the first under confirmed sentencing. He was previously held at Marcos Paz prison from October 2017 to December 2019 in connection with the so-called Río Turbio case.

His current detention follows the Argentine Supreme Court's decision to uphold his conviction for fraudulent administration linked to the Once train crash, which claimed 52 lives at the Sarmiento line's Once station in 2012. A final appeal from De Vido's legal team was rejected earlier this week.

De Vido has petitioned to serve his sentence under house arrest at his residence in Zárate, citing his age and chronic health conditions, including hypertension, asthma, and insulin-dependent diabetes. The request is subject to a multi-step review process involving updated medical evaluations, an assessment of the penitentiary system’s capacity to manage his care, and a socio-environmental study of his home. A ruling is expected in the coming days.