The General Inspection of Justice decided to intervene in the Association of Journalists of Argentine Television and Radio after Marcelo Polino's public request to show the entity's numbers. The measure will be implemented in the coming days with the appointment of a supervisor who will analyze the accounting documentation.
Journalist Juan Etchegoyen anticipated the decision on Mitre Live. “Pay attention in the coming hours because this is going to happen: the General Inspection of Justice, that is, the IGJ, is going to intervene in APTRA,” he stated. He explained that the information was verified with several sources in recent days.
The intervention comes after Polino, as a member of the association, requested a balance sheet that was never provided to him. The IGJ understands that Marcelo Polino is right and will send a representative to review the finances of the entity that awards the Martín Fierro Awards.
Etchegoyen clarified that this is not an immediate measure that happens overnight, but rather a process that will begin shortly. Luis Ventura, the current president of APTRA, also addressed the issue and confirmed the information circulating in the journalistic sphere.
What the intervention implies
The appointment of the supervisor requires the association to call a meeting in the coming days. There, they will need to analyze the situation and gather the documentation that the official body will request for the scrutiny of the accounts.
The journalist made it clear that Polino did not request a formal audit nor did he file a complaint against the entity. He simply exercised his right as a member to request the balances and the corresponding accounting information.
Etchegoyen also took the time to clarify his own position to avoid misunderstandings. “This is information. One is neither in agreement nor in disagreement; one is reporting what is happening,” he said. He added that he does not consider himself anti-APTRA and that, in his opinion, Luis Ventura's presidency is the best in history.
At the same time, he acknowledged Polino's right: “I also think that Marcelo Polino has every right to request a balance as a member of APTRA. One thing does not negate the other. And the IGJ has given Polino reason.”
Background of the request
The request for transparency had become public in recent weeks and generated debate within the television environment. The lack of a formal response from the association's authorities ultimately activated the state control mechanism that will now be put into action.
This will be the first time that the IGJ intervenes in this way in APTRA. The supervisor will be tasked with examining the numbers and verifying the financial status of the entity that brings together television and radio journalists.
The decision of the official body closes, for now, the chapter of Polino's individual request and opens an institutional one that will force the association to make its accounting situation transparent before the authorities.
