Kicillof fired 24 Buenos Aires Police officers for working for the Libertarian candidate for the Third Section.

The Buenos Aires government, led by Axel Kicillof, has dismissed 24 senior provincial police officers suspected of participating in a "conspiratorial action" and operating from ministry offices for a candidate sponsored by the La Libertad Avanza (LLA) front for the September 7 legislative elections. They are implicated in political actions supporting former commissioner Maximiliano Bondarenko, the head of the list for the Third Section of the Libertarian Alliance and the PRO party.

According to Clarín 's provincial sources, this Wednesday the General Audit Office of Internal Affairs (AGAI) of the Ministry of Security carried out "a series of surprise operations, as if they were raids" in offices that house "management areas" of the provincial security force. There, the auditors allegedly "verified the veracity of the complaints " they received at that office, which arrived anonymously.

The dismissed officers, according to official sources, were allegedly linked to and "performed political work" for Maximiliano Bondarenko, a retired former police officer and current councilor of Florencio Varela, the candidate for first provincial deputy for the La Libertad Avanza-Pro coalition.

Bondarenko was the "surprise," the "dark horse" in the closing of the lists that ended this Monday. He will head the strategic Third Electoral Section , which corresponds to the south and southeast of Greater Buenos Aires and where nearly 5 million residents in 19 districts are authorized to vote. This is the territory dominated almost exclusively by Peronism, and Governor Axel Kicillof is playing a significant role there in these legislative elections.

According to information obtained by this newspaper, 24 Buenos Aires police officers have been suspended, including the entire Ecological Police department (whose real name is the Directorate of Ecological Prevention and Hazardous Substances) . This department operates on one of the force's premises in the Bosque de La Plata area, less than 500 meters from the police headquarters, which occupies the entire block of 51, 53, 2, and 3 streets in the center of the provincial capital.

"Officers who held leadership positions in the Police force are involved in this operation," the sources stated. One of them is believed to be the chief commissioner in charge of the Ecological Police. Police officers of various ranks and from other locations such as Tres de Febrero and Exaltación de la Cruz are also allegedly involved and have already been placed on preventive availability.

During the investigations carried out at the headquarters and other branches in that area, they found sheets of paper with LLA letterheads and even wallpapers with images of the "Lion," which identifies President Javier Milei . Computers and other items linking them to the provincial libertarians were seized.

The Buenos Aires Police, headed by Minister Javier Alonso , will refer all internal proceedings to the Criminal Court to determine whether any crimes were committed, sources close to the official announced on Wednesday.

For now, they are accused of violating the Organic Law of the Police. Specifically, the provisions of Decree Law 9,550 (of 1980), which in its Article 58, paragraph 10, stipulates that the following violations shall be punished with "dismissal or separation from retirement, imposed by a resolution issued in an administrative investigation: Intervening or in any way participating in politics , in the organization of political parties, or in their management, except for retired personnel."

The sanctioned officers—according to the complaint, which AI was able to verify "prima facie"—were working on a "Police reform" project, in which they included themselves in the leadership hierarchy . "This is interpreted as a conspiratorial action. Furthermore, it was carried out with elements and tools from the State, which were provided to them for another purpose."

They were also reportedly drafting bills on security issues that would be presented to the Legislature.

The researchers' hypothesis is that these initiatives would bear the signature of Bondarenko, who will likely become a provincial deputy starting December 10.

Bondarenko began his political activity while a police officer. But he took a leave of absence to dedicate himself to campaigning. Before becoming a council member, he had been a mayoral candidate on Facundo Manes's ticket.

Now, the retired chief commissioner will compete directly with Verónica Magario , the vice governor of the province who will be running for deputy for the Third Force Patria party. The candidacy of the La Matanza leader came after a bitter argument between Axel Kicillof and the Kirchnerist party led by Máximo Kirchner, who sought to appoint Mayra Mendoza, the mayor of Quilmes, to that position.

It's the place Cristina Kirchner had chosen to return to the electoral contest, but which she had to relegate due to the Supreme Court's confirmation of her conviction in the Highways case.