La Rioja expels two police officers for clandestine lending

The government of La Rioja has expelled two members of the provincial police force following an administrative investigation by the Ministry of Security. The decision, signed by Governor Ricardo Quintela and Security Minister Miguel Zárate, targets a principal officer named Carrizo and a corporal named Loyola.

According to the investigation, the officers engaged in habitual and clandestine money lending. They reportedly retained the bank debit cards of numerous individuals, managed their ATM access codes, and forced victims to sign promissory notes with incomplete data or missing amounts to secure loans and usurious interest rates.

Authorities stated that these lucrative activities were incompatible with their roles as police officers, emphasizing that the conduct was particularly grave because the officers used their positions to exploit citizens in need.