Mendoza Court Orders Former Gaming Official to Repay Over Cleaning Contract Irregularities

The Supreme Court of Justice in Mendoza has upheld a financial penalty against Daniel Osvaldo Molina, the former administrative manager of the provincial gambling regulator IPJyC. Molina must repay ARS880,059 ($586.91) plus accumulated interest after irregularities were found in a cleaning services contract at the Casino de Mendoza. The decision, delivered by judges Omar Palermo, Mario Adaro, and José Valerio, rejected Molina's appeal and left the original ruling by the provincial Tribunal de Cuentas intact.

The case originates from a 2018 audit by the Tribunal de Cuentas, which examined the IPJyC's 2015 financial accounts. The audit revealed that cleaning provider Masterful SRL had received payment for labor hours and technology services that were never actually delivered at the Casino de Mendoza.

As a result, the audit body issued surcharges of ARS3.08 million and ARS2.91 million against the responsible parties, creating a combined joint liability of ARS6 million. Molina, who was responsible for overseeing the contract, argued that the Tribunal de Cuentas ruling should be annulled. The Supreme Court found no merit in his claims, stating that officials in charge of contract oversight failed to compare billed hours against attendance records, despite having access to them.

The judges noted that this failure led directly to payments for services that were never rendered, causing financial damage to the state and triggering the penalty. The ruling is one of several stemming from the same 2018 audit, which targeted former IPJyC officials from the administration of ex-governor Francisco Pérez.

In related cases, other former officials—including ex-IPJyC president Carlos Bianchinelli and former directors Federico Domínguez and Miguel Bondino—have had their respective charges annulled by Mendoza's provincial courts in separate proceedings, contrasting with Molina's upheld penalty.