Nicolás Daniel Rodríguez and Daniela Silva Muñoz were arrested
La Plata’s criminal justice system is investigating a series of complaints of repeated sexual abuse spanning nearly a decade involving two currently imprisoned Buenos Aires Senate employees. These are Nicolás Daniel Rodríguez and Daniela Silva Muñoz, who are accused of crimes against sexual integrity, which, according to judicial sources, were committed in the context of manipulation, threats and the exercise of power, both on a personal and political level.
The explosive case, which lasted for years and involved consistent statements from various complainants, ultimately led to arrest warrants, raids and the seizure of evidence, at the request of prosecutor Betina Lacki, head of UFI No. 2 of La Plata. The file was the subject of the intervention of the Guarantee Court No. 4, which confirmed the measures, considering that there was sufficient evidence to convict.
As EL DIA learned from judicial sources and spokespeople, the events under investigation date back to at least 2015 and describe a pattern of sexual abuse involving carnal access, psychological violence and prolonged subjugation, in some cases until 2023. The victims – whose identities are being protected – told the court that they were subjected to power asymmetries, threats and emotional manipulation in a context.
Sources in the file indicate that one of the central axes of the case is the use of political space, working ties and promises of growth within the militancy as a mechanism of rapprochement and control. In this context, the public prosecutor’s office is investigating the functioning of an alleged structure called the “Order of Light”, which, according to the included witness statements, operated with a sectarian logic.
According to the trial, Rodríguez presented himself as a spiritual leader with alleged “special powers,” while Silva Muñoz played the role of guide or mediator, reinforcing the subjugation of victims. According to judicial sources, this dynamic was always used to justify the abuses, to frustrate the will of the complainants and to maintain a long-term coercive bond.
Issues examined include sexual assault without consent, threats with knives, episodes of intimidation, control over victims’ private and sexual lives, and increasing severity of reported behaviors. In addition, some of the abuses occurred in the defendants’ property and in areas related to their political and professional activities.
They refused to testify
After the arrests on the night of December 29th, both defendants were transferred for investigation. However, Rodríguez and Silva Muñoz refused to testify, exercising their constitutional right, as justice spokesmen confirmed.
In parallel, the defense requested that the detainees be transferred to a district mayor’s office on the grounds that the DDI cells in which they were housed did not meet appropriate conditions, an allegation that requires a court decision.
The prosecution emphasized that the case is supported by witness statements that have coincided and been corroborated over time, as well as recently recorded documentary and digital materials. The investigation also reconstructs victims’ previous attempts to report the crime and alleged subsequent harassment to prevent the facts from reaching the justice system.
For the State Department, the case is of considerable institutional gravity, not only because of the repetition and temporal extension of the reported abuses, but also because of the power context from which they were committed, which would have facilitated the recruitment and subjugation of the victims.
About The Author
