A letter signed by 400 people requires that a judge be designated to resume judicial investigation that seeks to clarify the death of Mons. Carlos Horacio Ponce de León.
The Bishop of San Nicolás died on July 11, 1977 in the context of the last military dictatorship in Argentina, in an alleged car accident, when he was heading to Buenos Aires to present documentation on the disappeared and violations of human rights in his diocese.
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The letter was delivered to the Federal Chamber of Appeals of Rosario by the president of the Court, Silvina Andalaf Casiello, before the resignation of the judge who previously carried the case.
The signatories ask “not to continue adding delays that favor impunity” and demand a new subrogate judge who treats the case, in a context of judicial instability after the resignation of federal judge Marcelo Bailaque.
In March 2024, the Federal Chamber of Argentine Cassation confirmed the cancellation of the trial carried out in 1978 by the death of the bishop, and the opening of a new process that would seek to prove that it was a crime against humanity.
The Chamber argued that the 1978 trial contained many procedure vices that could be interpreted as cover -up maneuvers.
In addition, thanks to the collection of new tests carried out since 2004, the threats suffered by the Prelate, who despite being aware of the danger he faced, never stopped supporting the relatives of the disappeared and denouncing the military authorities of San Nicolás.
Within the framework of the investigation, an accidentological expertise was also carried out with an advanced computer system.
In May 2024, the Criminal Cassation Chamber rejected an extraordinary appeal presented by the defense of Luis Antonio Martínez, driver of the truck that hit the car driven by the bishop causing his death.
This ruling gave rise to the possibility of a new judgment to investigate whether it was a homicide motivated by the social inclination of the cleric.
Federal prosecutor Matías Di Lello said that since July 2024 he requested inquiries to ex -military and businessmen who could be involved in the case, but never concretized.
The Argentine Episcopal Conference, on the other hand, has a special commission to gather information about the context in which the death of the prelate occurred. After the recent death of Archbishop Emeritus of Rosario, Mons. José Luis Mollaghan, the Commission was made up of the auxiliary bishop of Mercedes-Luján, Mons. Mauricio Landra, and Fr. Luis Liberti.
Julieta Villar
I am a journalist, a graduate in Communication from the National University of La Matanza in Argentina. I have work experience in non -governmental organizations. Since 2016 I dedicate myself to Catholic journalism, first in the Argentine Catholic Information Agency (AICA) and, since 2022, as a correspondent for ACI Press for Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Bolivia.