Argentina’s efforts in bringing justice to the victims of the 1976-1983 civil-military dictatorship are considered pioneering worldwide. Since the Trial of the Juntas in 1985, more than a thousand people have been convicted for their role in state terrorism, from military personnel and judges to medical doctors and clergy members.

The reparative initiative has fallen short in one particular area: crimes committed by economic actors. Since the return of democracy, there have been only two cases in which company executives have been convicted for collaborating with the repression. The prosecution of crimes for economic gain, on the other hand, has never been able to gain traction.

A recent federal court ruling in Córdoba, however, could pave a new path.

On July 1, the province’s Federal Oral Court 1 (TOF, for its Spanish initials) issued a historic ruling declaring that a corporate takeover made during the dictatorship was void. The three judges described the seizure as “usurpation” and declared it a “crime against humanity.”

Mackentor, a major construction firm in the 1960s and 1970s, had around 400 employees when the takeover took place. The firm was seized by the courts in May 1977 after its executives were accused of financing armed guerrilla group Montoneros. The company was transferred to a competitor, a construction company called Supercemento, and several of its executives were kidnapped. Four of them remain missing.

According to plaintiff attorney Juan Carlos Vega, the ruling is a turning point in the Argentine judiciary, as it is the first time that it has been proven that “economic groups benefited from state terrorism.” He added that........

© Buenos Aires Herald