Two months after turning 50, Diego Luciani he became a public figure almost overnight, and much to his chagrin. In his vehement plea he stated: “Nestor Kirchner and then his wife, Cristina Fernandez, installed and maintained within the national administration one of the most extraordinary matrices of corruption that have developed in the country”. Bomb.
On the Zoom screen, the virtual platform through which the hearings are held, they saw, in addition to the vice, Lazaro Baez, Julio de Vido, Jose Lopezcousin Carlos Kirchner and Abel Fatala, among others accused of being part of the illicit association: “A system of institutional corruption with public works in the province of Santa Cruz”, as defined by Luciani.
That vehement character, which surprised those who followed the first hearings of the prosecutor’s argument, had already been seen on previous occasions. In fact, in February he had met the President, who he testified as a witness.
Alberto Fernandez, who at the time of the events under investigation was chief of staff, explained the actions of the Executive, but his arguments did not leave Luciani satisfied, who questioned him on several occasions. “It seems to me that you did not hear me well”, the President told him dazed and Luciani was not far behind: “I heard you perfectly”. Alberto Fernández continued: “Then he has a comprehension problem.” “Do not disrespect me, doctor,” the prosecutor stopped him.
The file was consuming the day to day of the office of Luciani. Of the thirteen members who work in his office, six dedicated themselves exclusively to this mega-case. “The Vikings”, the prosecutor calls that group of young people who have been working for months without schedules. In addition, in the last section he received the collaboration of the prosecutor Sergio Mola, who now exposes the allegations with him. His team is, on many occasions, the last to leave Comodoro Py.
The end of this case could have a sequel. It would become the precedent of another cause that worried Cristina and complicated her children: Hotesur / Los Sauces. The Kirchners had been dismissed in advance, but with a possible conviction Cassation could review the ruling. It would be another bad news.
If the judges value positively the evidence that Luciani shows, a circle of journalistic and judicial investigations that has been going on for more than 15 years would be closed. Already in February 2007, for example, this magazine published on its cover a photo of Lázaro Báez together with Néstor Kirchner and pointed to that prosperous businessman from the South as the supposed figurehead of the then President.
Passions. Knowing that what was coming was going to shake his day to day life, the prosecutor began to prepare himself physically and psychologically. He understood that he needed other tools to successfully navigate the level of exposure and attacks that he was going to receive once he accused the vice president. That’s why he has a rigorous exercise plan in the gym and regularly goes for a run to clear his head, in addition to his yoga classes. But the most detailed work is in his head: he began to practice mindfulnessa discipline of meditation that he performs daily and keeps him on track.
Study obsessive, with the arrival of the public works file he sought to specialize in the matter. Among the options that he considered, he decided on a doctorate at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Three years later, in November 2021, he presented his thesis “Corruption in public contracting”, which was valued by a jury with the highest honors: “outstanding cum lade”, according to his curriculum vitae. The final work, about 600 pages long, has not yet been published: Luciani reserved the rights to edit it and believes that it can be a great contribution in the fight against this type of crime.
In March 2023, he will celebrate 30 years of judicial career. He is a teacher in Salamanca and Mexico, among other houses of study, and director of three diploma courses at the University of San Isidro, where he lives. He has published several books and those around him consider him a study maniac: they say that he gets up at dawn to read for at least two hours. Luciani was born in Palermo and studied at Colegio Guadalupe. The group of friends that he made in those classrooms continues to this day. “He was not the best student, but he was very respectful and brave. He would stop your car if he thought something was not fair”, describes Javier D’Espoósito, his fourth year language teacher. And he brings back another memory from outside the classroom: “He was a very good soccer player,” he completes. Luciani continues to practice the sport: until recently, in fact, he participated in an intercountry tournament. However, in the discipline that stood out the most is rugby: he played for Banco Nación for many years and was crowned champion in the fifth category in 1978, when he was a teenager. They still remember with his team the motivational talks he gave them Hugo Porta, the maximum figure of Los Pumas. As a result of his brand new public exposure, his name resonated in the club and that is why they sent him a letter: “We are proud that we have worn the same colors and, of course, the identity of values with which we were educated,” says the message that was sent to him from the Bank.
A fan of Boca, in those years Luciani religiously went to the popular Bombonera. Later, over the years, he would resume the activity with his only son, but already in the comfort of the audience.
He was the first of his group to graduate from the UBA as a lawyer. At that point, he was already working in the Judiciary. The first moments of strong exposure of him came to him as a boy, when he was judge Juan José Galeano meritorious in the AMIA case. The famous “click” who was in charge of errands and minor tasks. He accumulated such a level of tension that he had gastritis and quickly understood that to progress in his career he would have to work without schedules, in addition to ensuring that the causes do not affect his life. He still doesn’t get that last one.
