Julio De Vido and José López each receive five‑year prison terms in Skanda scandal

Argentina’s Federal Oral Court No. 4 convicted former Kirchnerist officials Julio De Vido, former Planning Minister, and José López, former Secretary of Public Works, to five years in prison and a perpetual ban from holding public office. The verdict found them guilty of passive bribery in concert with fraudulent administration of the State in the Skanda case, which involved the corrupt awarding of gas‑pipeline expansion contracts to the Swedish construction firm Skanska.

The court also sentenced former Nación Fideicomisos manager Néstor Ulloa to five years, and handed prison terms of three to four years to several ex‑directors of Skanska and related businessmen. Of the 30 defendants brought to trial, 17 were acquitted. Authorities ordered the seizure of roughly 48 million pesos in proceeds from the fraudulent scheme.