The Chamber confirmed that Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia and Pablo Ariel Toviggino will not be able to leave the country without judicial authorization after being prosecuted for 34 cases of misappropriation of taxes and 17 of social security resources.
The Chamber of Economic Criminal Appeals confirmed the ban on leaving the country for the leaders of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia and Pablo Ariel Toviggino, in the context of a court case in which both were prosecuted this week for undue withholding of contributions. The decision ratifies the measure that had been ordered in February by Judge Diego Amarante and which has now been confirmed by Chamber A of the Economic Criminal Chamber. According to the court, the restriction is reasonable to ensure the defendants' subjection to the judicial process
.This judicial scenario could become a direct obstacle to the presence of Tapia and Toviggino in the 2026 World Cup, a tournament that will begin on June 11 and will be played in the United States, Mexico and Canada. If the ban remains in effect for that date, the president and the treasurer of the AFA will depend on an express authorization from Judge Amarante to be able to travel abroad. The defenses of Tapia and Toviggino had appealed the magistrate's initial decision, arguing that the measure was unfounded and that it was arbitrary
.
However, the camaristas Roberto Hornos and Carolina Robiglio, after analyzing the submissions, concluded that the first instance decision is based on valid reasons and does not contradict the current state of the case. In that regard, the court held that the arguments of the defenses constitute simply a “discrepancy with the criteria” of the degree judge, so they decided
to confirm the measure.A central element taken into account by the House was the indictment handed down last Monday by Judge Amarante against the leaders of
the AFA.Both Tapia and Toviggino were accused as alleged co-perpetrators criminally responsible for: Aggravated misappropriation of
taxes, repeated on 34 occasions, and Aggravated misappropriation
The court clarified that, when confirming the restriction on leaving the country, it did not issue an opinion on the merits of the prosecution, since that decision is not yet final and will be the subject of a parallel appeal.
However, in evaluating the current procedural situation of both leaders, the House concluded that the measure is adequate to ensure that the defendants remain at the disposal of the judicial process.
judges also explained that the decision does not imply an absolute ban on leaving the country
.In practice, the resolution establishes that Tapia and Toviggino must request specific authorizations from Economic Criminal Court No. 5 each time they intend to leave the national territory, a mechanism that seeks to ensure their appearance when the judge requires it in the context of the case.
NEWS IN DEVELOPMENT