“The women of Chubut have been raped by these three judges. Judges and rapists know that where there is no justice, there is escraches and there is revenge.”
This is how the women who held the vigil awaiting the ruling regarding a gang rape that occurred in the Playa Unión resort in September 2012 expressed themselves at the door of the Rawson judicial office in Chubut.
It was after it became known that the three men accused of sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl They were acquitted this Saturday by the Justice that considered that “there was not enough evidence” to convict them. There were incidents at the door of the Judicial Office between relatives, friends and militants of feminist organizations and the police. They tried to break down the fences and enter. But they didn’t make it. And the incidents did not escalate.
The oral court made up of judges Ana Karina Breckle, Marcela Alejandra Pérez and María Laura Martini acquitted Ezequiel Quintana (31 years old, from Caleta Olivia), Leandro Del Villar (30) and Luciano Mallemaci (27).
The so-called “sons of power“They were charged with the gang rape committed in September 2012 at the house in Playa Unión of the grandson of a former governor (Atilio Vigione, now deceased) of the province of Chubut, during the Spring Day celebrations. It is very impressive to see today the house where the incident occurred, located in front of the sea, in a privileged place in the resort: the windows and doors were taped up with cement bricks.
The three defendants were the only young people, out of six, who admitted having drugged and raped the 16-year-old teenager. Three more young people who would have participated in the crime were dismissed. Among them, the grandson of Viglione.
Incidents at the Rawson Judicial Office. Photo: Jornada Newspaper
The case that was aired occurred on the eve of the spring of 2012, in Playa Unión. In a house facing the sea owned by Robertino Viglione, grandson of the deceased ex-governor of Chubut Atilio Oscar Viglione, a group of young people gathered, among whom were the defendants. Some young women who had come from Puerto Madryn also participated.
Early in the morning, the six defendants initially committed a group abuse against one of the girls who had arrived from the city of Golfo Nuevo. The victim was rescued by a friend and taken to a house in Rawson, capital of the province located 5 kilometers away. She stayed there all night until she returned to Puerto Madryn.
The victim was constantly threatened by her abusers, all children of very influential people in the area due to their status as politicians and businessmen. The pressure came to such an extent that the family decided to move: since then they have lived in the city of La Plata.
The girl was encouraged to tell the story several years later through a social network. Her posting was noticed by prosecutor Rivarola, who connected with her and convinced her to make the complaint. And there began the process that ended with the acquittal of the accused.
The edges of gang rape are chilling. Young people who acted as a bell so that none of the guests enter the room, cell phones turned on to shed light on the deplorable situation and the girl escaping as she could, helped by a friend.
In June 2020, the case had already taken an important turn when the prosecutor Fernando Rivarola decided to change the qualification, when “abuse with carnal access” became “simple sexual abuse”.
However, what was most surprising in the prosecutor’s brief was his definition that the event was part of a “willful act of sexual relief” by the accused. And he assessed that the victim was in “a state of semi-consciousness”.
Once made public, the fact became known as “the violation committed by the sons of power” and there was always doubt as to the actions of justice, which, however, brought them to trial.
Incidents at the Rawson Judicial Office. Photo: Jornada Newspaper
Luciano Mallemaci is the son of the owner of one of the most important real estate agencies in Puerto Madryn. According to his records, his last blank job was at a company that makes prestressed concrete.
Marcelo Ezequiel Quintana, residing in Caleta Olivia, Santa Cruz, is a lawyer. Along with members of his family, he integrates the firm Andequin Sociedad Anónima, a company dedicated to construction.
For his part, Leandro del Villar was once a squash player and karting driver. He has a company dedicated to passenger transport. His grandfather (who died in an accident on national route number 3 while on his way to the airport) was a national senator.
All three recognized the fact and at one point an abbreviated trial was attempted so that the penalties are not serious. But the youth’s lawyers rejected it. “We are going to go to trial to prove the innocence of our defendants,” they said last year. The hearings suffered numerous postponements due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Until they finally took place and this Saturday the ruling was known: the three acquitted.
Far is this decision to put an end to the case.
Chubut. Correspondent.
GL