The Argentine justice system acquitted the mayor of La Matanza this Wednesday, Fernando Espinoza in the case for alleged sexual abuse which his former private secretary had started, Melody Rakauskasconsidering that the criminal action was left without momentum after the complainant was without legal representation after the consecutive resignation of three lawyers, and declaring a lack of action, which led the Oral Criminal and Correctional Court No. 16 to archive the file without an oral trial.
The decision was made by the judge Ines Cantisaniwho first removed Rakauskas as a plaintiff due to “evident reluctance to intervene in the process” and then closed the case due to lack of impetus for criminal action, despite the fact that the prosecution had requested the dismissal of Espinoza due to insufficient evidence. The accusation against Espinoza dated back to May 2021when the alleged victim reported that in one of the work meetings in her own department, the community leader had approached her inappropriately, tried to kiss her, touch her over her clothes and ask her for sexual practices while she resisted.
The complaint included phrases attributed to the mayor such as “Stay calm, I always wanted you, everything will be fine” and, upon leaving, “Well, that’s it, that’s it, it’s all over… You don’t know what you’re missing, but hey, here you go,” which were incorporated into the file as part of the victim’s testimony. The development of the judicial case was tortuous: after years of investigation, in October 2025 The Supreme Court of Justice had upheld the prosecution for simple sexual abuse and disobedience to a court orderwhich led the case towards an oral and public trial, but the breakdown of legal sponsorship of the complaint and the lack of momentum for criminal action ended up tipping the balance towards dismissal.
When the fault is confirmed, Rakauskas made statements on Radio Rivadavia that resonated on radio stations and social networks. “The abuse was seriously outrageous due to the consequences that Fernando Espinoza left on me,” he stated in the report and detailed: “He stuck his tongue down my throat, bit my nipples and left me almost breathless at one point, leaving me semi-conscious on my back.” The complainant assured that she has a post-traumatic state and that the event affected her psychologically. Finally, he highlighted: “EIt’s incredible that, after fighting alone for five years, a judge notified the media of my dismissal before me, the victim.”.
The link between Rakauskas and Espinoza, Before the events, it was the subject of journalistic attention. According to various testimonies, the former official had accessed the position of private secretary in the Municipality thanks to her then partner, Gustavo Ciliawho was a close friend of Espinoza and had ties to the local administration. This situation generated from the beginning a relationship fraught with power asymmetry which, according to the complainant herself, hindered her ability to resist personal encounters outside the strictly work environment.
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