Mother's Day"Lázaro bid and won because he offered the best price," said defense attorney Juan Villanueva during the second argument hearing in which he dedicated himself to pointing out the "legality of all the works" awarded to the Austral Group, along with another concept: " all the works were done.”He blamed, once again, the government of Mauricio Macri for the closure of Austral Construcciones "and the 3,000 workers left on the street."For Cristina Kirchner's former business partner, the prosecution requested a twelve-year prison sentence for finding him responsible for the crimes of illicit association as organizer and fraudulent administration.The accusation that led to the oral trial of the vice president together with Lázaro Báez, and eleven other defendants, maintains that from between 2003 and 2015, from the highest government authorities and various "state agencies linked to public works, "a functional structure was set up oriented to the subtraction of public funds through the discretionary allocation (almost 80%) of the road works awarded in Santa Cruz", which represented the contracting of the State "in favor of Lázaro Báez" for more than 46,000 million pesos ".The prosecution maintained that an "exclusive benefit" scheme was set up for whoever was a business partner of the Kirchners.This parallelism was graphed in two numbers: the wealth of the businessman convicted of money laundering increased between 2004 and 2015 by 12,127%, and that of Austral Construcciones (his flagship firm) by 45,313%.Lázaro Báez won in all the tenders in which he participated.To such an extent, the prosecutors indicated, that it was allowed, based on the analysis of the bidding documents, that three Báez companies compete on more than one occasion for the same work, bidding “always above the official budget and raising it up to 20%”.For the Austral Group to prevail in 51 price checks, the prosecution pointed out that there was a system of "simulation of tenders because they were rigged works, part of the cartelization of public works that existed in Santa Cruz."That benefit route indicated by the prosecution was rejected by the lawyer Juan Villanueva during the two argument hearings that he was in charge of and that will conclude next week with a request for Báez's acquittal.When arguing the legality of the acts committed by Báez and his business group, the defense argued: "Since the conclusion regarding the fraudulent administration is not proven, we ask for its categorical rejection" and they understood that "Lázaro did nothing more than exercise their role as an entrepreneur: bid, offer convenient prices and win and then carry out the works, as entrepreneurs do in this country and in all parts of the world".The justice indicated that Austral Construcciones until the end of 2007 was characterized -among other irregularities indicated by the Public Prosecutor's Office-, by offers that were made above the official cost that appeared in the specifications: 20%, almost on the verge of admitted by the contracting law.Even so, Báez managed to win 25 consecutive contracts.This "modus operandi" worked until December 2007. Under the first presidency of Cristina Kirchner there was a change in the way of offering and presenting themselves to the tenders.By 2008, Grupo Austral had already won 39 tenders."Companies began to present offers closer to the official budget, even many cases were presented slightly below, suddenly they begin to adjust to the budget."This did not happen in all contracts, the indictment maintains.The prosecution indicated that "Lazaro's companies presented courtesy offers, false", since "they did not have to worry about the best offer, they were going to win the same".Cases were recalled in which three companies from the same economic group tendered with minute differences in the offers made.Lawyer Villanueva replied to this statement by pointing out that this criterion "lacks reasonableness, if there was a rigged system, as the prosecution said, a large criminal organization, why would it go to the trouble of simulating if it was already guaranteed according to the accusation?" .It was in that instance where he put forward another point in his defense: “The truth is that Lázaro was bidding and winning since before Néstor Kirchner was a candidate for president, because he offered the best and lowest prices with a comparative advantage in the area.” .The case focuses on the contracts that were awarded through the Austral Group, which began its operational activity in 2003 and began bidding in 2004 in transitory units of companies until in 2007 it already offered individually, imposing itself in all the compulsions that were presented.In a concatenated way, Báez's lawyer indicated that just as "Lázaro made the best offer", the former partner of the vice "was not paid a single peso more, only for the work carried out because the works were built, the works They exist and the prosecution hid this.”To date, there are 24 unfinished projects on Santa Cruz soil, many of which were tendered more than ten years ago and were in the hands of Lázaro Báez companies.On this point, the prosecution spoke of an "abandonment of routes", of "anti-business behavior".The lawyer made another reading in this regard: “(Javier) Iguacel -former director of National Roads- is responsible for Austral not executing more works, he is responsible for the unfinished works because he terminated the works, the person responsible for the thousands of layoffs is him”.TOPICS THAT APPEAR IN THIS NOTECommenting on Clarín's notes is exclusively for subscribers.Sergio Massa announced that he will raise the minimum non-taxable Earnings and that there will be a new price program, although he rejected a freezeWorld Cup Qatar 2022, LIVE, minute by minute: Sunday of super action in the European leaguesWilde massacre: secret reports from the SIDE and the judge in the case, key in a trial that waited almost 29 yearsFour out of ten applicants for the driver's license fail the practical test on the streetRomina and Jazmín's mother's day: they fight the same disease and seek help for treatmentTruth and fiction: how the youth team of prosecutor Julio Strassera was createdWhat you have to knowThe most important news of the day, to read with breakfast.The most important of each day, the necessary reading on the way home.Stones 1743. CABA, ArgentinaIssue No.: 9686, October 11, 2022You are already a Clarín subscriberOwner Graphic Art Editorial Argentino SA © 1996-2022 Clarín.com - Clarín Digital - All rights reserved.Read the paper edition