Argentina Supreme Court revokes dismissal of “Pata” Medina

The Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation has revoked the dismissal of Juan Pablo “Pata” Medina and several other defendants in a case involving alleged criminal association, money laundering, and extortion. The ruling, signed by judges Horacio Rosatti, Carlos Rosenkrantz, and Ricardo Lorenzetti, overturns a previous decision by the Federal Chamber of Criminal Cassation that had closed the case.

The court’s decision follows a complaint by the Attorney General, which sought to prevent the dismissal. As a result, the case will return to the Federal Chamber of Criminal Cassation for a new resolution by a different panel of judges. The Public Prosecutor's Office is seeking to move the case toward an oral trial.

Medina, the former general secretary of the La Plata branch of the Construction Workers' Union of the Argentine Republic (UOCRA), was originally detained in 2017. The legal proceedings have been marked by various developments, including previous house arrest and a 2022 ruling by Judge Alejandro Esmoris that declared the entire case null and dismissed the charges, a decision that has now been overturned.