The former transport minister, Jorge D`Onofrio denied the allegations implicating him in alleged illegal maneuvers in the concession of the Technical Vehicle Verification Service (VTV) in the province of Buenos Aires. Axel Kicillof’s former official presented the prosecutor’s office with a document that also investigates another alleged act of corruption: the network of lawyers and officials who were paid to partially or completely cancel the photo fines collected on the routes to Buenos Aires.
The leader who took office based on an agreement between the governor and Sergio Massadenied all allegations: in a 25-page document accepted as part of the investigation statement, he argued that the tender process for the provision of the VTV service throughout the territory was “legal, public and international, with the positive intervention of control and advisory bodies”.
In the presentation, made under the auspices of lawyers Ramiro and Isidro Pérez Duhalde, he rejected the evidence raised by Garganta of irregularities in the selection of the winning companies. The prosecutor alleged that D’Onofrio “targeted” the tenders in favor of eight companies. who led the verification workshops for the concessions they awarded in 2024.
More than 4 million vehicles stationed in Buenos Aires must undergo these pits and inspections, paying at least $79,640 (the cost of a private car weighing less than 2,500 kilograms) for each service.
The official, who had to leave the ministry after these complaints became known in December last year, also justified the appointment of the company Soluciones en Telecomunicaciones y Electrónica SA to manage the online “Turnera” and the online collection system. He claimed it was “the most cost-effective and necessary option for technological improvements to the service.”
Garganta suspects that it was a “brokering company” to collect bribes from the traders. In the request for investigation, he explained this as follows: “For this purpose, a cash return system was introduced, which later reached the Minister of Transport of Buenos Aires through the company Soluciones en Telecomunicaciones y Electrónica SA, to which the successful bidding companies paid monthly and for the duration of the contract an amount of 3% (in a first stage) and then 8.5% (in a second stage) + VAT of the amount obtained through the VTV service revenue had to be paid.” Concession of the service (10 years) in exchange for the service it would provide: online appointment booking.”
The prosecutor estimated that $4.9 billion would be diverted through this instrument over the life of the concession. In the first months of this year, with a new minister – Martín Marinucci, also from the Massista Renewal Front – the agreement to increase the commission from 3.5% to 8% was maintained, according to sources in the case who told Clarín.
Every time the owner of a car goes for inspection from an Internet site, Soluciones SA keeps at least 2,500 pesos (for the VTV of a car) and up to 11,000 pesos (in the case of transportation that costs $143,000) for the delivery of the shift through a virtual “ticket machine” installed at the request of the ministry.
In his letter, D’Onofrio justified the innovation: “It was necessary to improve the provision of the VTV service and make it more transparent. To achieve this, technological improvements had to be implemented.” These improvements would be the responsibility of service companies, who could decide how best to implement them. “The company ultimately selected was the one that offered the most favorable conditions,” explained the defendant. And he clarified: “The management of appointments, debt collection and traceability of the VTV system throughout the territory of the province is a complex software, completely different from a basic appointment system for offices with which the tax charge is to be compared,” says the former minister.
He also denies having any previous connection with the owner of that company, Sebastián Decio, according to the prosecutor’s indictment.
In the next few days, the seven businessmen against whom Garganta must investigate in this process will introduce themselves (or submit written documents): Martín Hernán Serrano, Germán Rebolo, Leonardo Sclafani, Aitor Reter Aguado, Juan Manuel Funes Bige, Juan Pablo Pesculich and Germán Jorge Neuss. They are the presidents of the companies Sistema Integral del Automóvil SA, VTV Sud SA, Carpes All SA, SGS Argentina SA, VTV Norte SA, Applus Iteuve Argentina SA and VTV Noroeste SA, which have received licenses to carry out the mandatory annual inspections of vehicles.
And Decio, the alleged connection between the former minister and the companies, is also mentioned. The case against the former Kicillof official has another related aspect. An alleged network of lawyers campaigning to “reduce” the amounts paid to offenders spotted using cinemeters on the province’s tracks is also under investigation. There it is suspected that the maneuver was carried out with the connivance of misdemeanor judges who were appointed to strategic positions by ministry officials.
A month ago, the federal judge of Campana, Adrián González Charvay, indicted him in another court for allegedly being responsible for the crime of “money laundering”. The judge ordered an embargo of $350 million. The measure embargoed Facundo Asensio, former director of inspection and control of the provincial directorate of vehicle technical verification, with an embargo of $300 million. Both remain free and maintain the general asset freeze ordered in March 2025.
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