Sandro Fergola's Vialidad II Trial Suspended Over Absent Defense Lawyers

The Federal Oral Tribunal 2 (TOF 2) in Argentina halted the opening of the Vialidad II trial after the defense team for former Vialidad Nacional official Sandro Fergola failed to appear. The case, stemming from the corruption investigation that led to former President Cristina Kirchner’s conviction, was set to begin on Thursday but was postponed because the accused could not be tried without legal representation. Judges described the maneuver as a deliberate provocation intended to delay proceedings.

Fergola’s lawyers had been ordered ten days earlier to appoint a substitute attorney, a directive they ignored while attending a separate hearing on the “Cuadernos de las Coimas” case. The tribunal ruled that proceeding without counsel would violate procedural guarantees, and gave the defense until September to name a new lawyer.