The former head of the organization during the administrations of Alberto Fernández and Milei will be investigated in the case for alleged bribes for irregular contracts. He remains detained after the raid on his home, where they found 2 million dollars, drugs and espionage equipment. Who is the controversial former official, who held various positions for more than 20 years in public management.
Facundo Leal, the former head of ARSAT and ORSNA (airport regulator) during the administrations of Alberto Fernández and Javier Milei, respectively, will testify this Monday at 10 a.m. before the federal court of San Isidro in a case in which he is being investigated for alleged bribes.
The former official has been detained for two months in the custody of the Federal Penitentiary Service because when Justice raided his homes in Palermo and Mendoza, where he is from, they found almost 2 million dollars, synthetic drugs, ketamine, cocaine but also equipment for surveillance and monitoring of people and vehicles.
It is not yet clear whether the accused will stick to answering questions from judicial officials or will present a document to make his defense against the accusations for which he is being investigated: receiving returns in exchange for awarding services directly to a private operator. The Justice Department doubts the detainee's collaborative spirit: until now he has refused to reveal the password to his cell phone, information that keeps officials of this and the previous administration in suspense.
Leal, 42, has presided over the state company that manages critical telecommunications infrastructure and satellite services since 2022, during the management of the Frente de Todos. But the leader remained at the head of the organization during the first year and a half of the libertarian administration.
Furthermore, in June 2025 he was appointed to head the Regulatory Body of the National Airport System (ORSNA) as part of the landing in the Transportation Secretariat of Luis Pierrini "and the people of Mendoza" in that area supervised by the Ministry of Economy. After his resignation at the beginning of this year, he was replaced by Noelia Ruiz, an official who reports to Santiago Caputo and who since 2024 has been guardian of the Tierra del Fuego trust fund, one of the few that resists the libertarian chainsaw.
In the Government they tried to minimize the scandal: Leal has a permanent position in the ARSAT where he ended up last January when he resigned from the presidency of ORSNA, in the middle of a restructuring in the area of Transportation, where his political reference, Pierrini, also from Mendoza, was in charge.
Their departure from the Government was also linked to the fact that both had been "invited" to leave their positions after using an aircraft linked to the entourage of football leader Pablo Toviggino, treasurer of the AFA, to take a trip to an exclusive spa in Barcelona.
In any case, Leal is investigated in two legal cases. The first was initiated by a complaint from the Government itself for the alleged theft of technological equipment located in an ARSAT warehouse. But it was in those raids where the investigation found the money, drugs and spy equipment. Through the judicial investigation, signs of possible corruption were discovered in the agency's contracts with the logistics company ALS.
This case is being heard by Judge Lino Mirabelli and Prosecutor Fernando Domínguez. And the second file for the discovery of the drugs is investigated by Daniel Rafecas. head of federal court 6 of Comodoro Py. The detainee's defense maintains that these narcotics were not intended for marketing but for personal consumption.
The former official appears in WhatsApp messages from other defendants in the case for alleged returns, such as the assistant purchasing manager of ARSAT Gerardo Boschin or Diego Padilla, from the company ALS.
For Justice, there is almost no doubt that the more than two million dollars found in Leal's homes are linked to acts of corruption. A central element for the case will be the former official's cell phones.
Who is Facundo Leal?
Leal, a 42-year-old lawyer, has presided over the state company that manages critical telecommunications infrastructure and satellite services since 2022, during the Frente de Todos administration. A position that he retained even after the change of government in December 2023.
In 2025, the man from Mendoza was appointed by the government of Javier Milei as head of the Regulatory Body of the National Airport System (ORSNA), which regulates and supervises the national airport system, a position he held until January 2026. At the time of the raid on his home, the former official was still on the payroll of ARSAT employees, since it is a permanent plant of the state company.
Throughout almost two decades in public service, Leal held different positions in national organizations and built a network of influence that would exceed his formal responsibilities. In recent years he served as an important figure within the Nation's Transportation Secretariat, where he maintained a close relationship with the then head of the area, Luis Pierrini, a Mendoza businessman close to Minister Luis "Toto" Caputo.
His departure from the Government occurred at the end of January 2026, when he presented his resignation along with Pierrini. According to journalistic versions, both would have been "invited" to leave their positions after using an aircraft linked to the entourage of football leader Pablo Toviggino, treasurer of the AFA, to take a trip to Barcelona.
In addition to his apartment in Palermo, which was raided by the Justice Department, according to his sworn statement, the former Albertista and Mileista official has at least seven other properties in Mendoza. In one of them, investigators found more than 1.7 million dollars.
::::::::::::::::::::: Fountain; Clarin.com :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
