A K official from the IACHR was reported for corruption and conflict of interest in cases against Argentina

The Argentine commissioner and current vice president of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the Kirchnerist Andrea Pochak, has become embroiled in a serious scandal, for which she has been criminally charged for alleged acts of administrative corruption, in a context marked by accusations of conflict of interest and actions against the Argentine State itself.

The legal filing was made last Friday before the Federal Criminal and Correctional Court 10, where an investigation is requested into the official for possible abuse of authority, violation of public official duties, malfeasance, negotiations incompatible with public office, and fraudulent administration to the detriment of the State.

The case gained greater relevance after statements made during an IACHR hearing on March 12 in Guatemala were disclosed.

In this context, the then Undersecretary of Human Rights, Joaquín Mogaburu, warned that Argentina had remained “for years in a situation of absolute defenselessness” during the Kirchnerist administration of Alberto Fernández, who promoted Pochak.

The accusations particularly focus on her involvement in the so-called “Catella case,” currently pending before the inter-American system, where incompatibilities between her public functions and her previous role as a member of petitioning organizations may have arisen.

According to the official, the state area responsible for responding to the IACHR was under the jurisdiction of “a public official who had previously intervened in this same case, but as a representative of the petitioner and a member of the organization that promoted the complaint.” The mentioned entity is the Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS).

Mogaburu also emphasized that there was no record of recusal or removal of that official, despite the “evident conflict of interest,” and denounced an “absolute and inexplicable inaction” in the defense of the State.

In this regard, he stated that during that period, key documentation was omitted from being sent to the IACHR for the defense of the State, including thirty kilos of files, which severely harmed Argentina's position.

The official also highlighted that the person in question currently holds “a position of the highest responsibility within the inter-American human rights system itself,” directly referring to Pochak.

Pochak served as Deputy Director of CELS from 2002 to 2011, a period during which the organization promoted complaints before international bodies. Subsequently, she held the position of Undersecretary of Protection and International Liaison in Human Rights from 2019 to 2023, a stage during which the IACHR processed various cases against Argentina. She currently serves as the vice president of the organization.

The complaint also focuses on the alleged commission of the crime of malfeasance, having intervened from the State in cases related to organizations in which she had previously worked, as well as the potential fraudulent administration due to the economic damage caused.

The episode came to public light following an interview with political scientist Agustín Laje with Neydy Casillas, a member of the Global Center for Human Rights, an NGO based in Washington DC dedicated to monitoring the functioning of international bodies.

The criticisms extend to other former officials in the Human Rights area during Alberto Fernández's administration, including Horacio Pietragalla Corti and Gabriela Kletzel, who had responsibilities in the legal strategy of the Argentine State before international bodies.

The investigation takes on special relevance because the involved officials participated in emblematic cases such as those of Maldonado, Milagro Sala, and Virgen Abortera, in which organizations that could have benefited also intervened.