While the Justice system investigates the origin of 2.6 million dollars that appeared in raids linked to Facundo Leal, former general manager and later president of Arsat, the intricacies of one of the most lucrative and controversial contracts in recent times at the state-owned company have been reconstructed: the upgrade of the Federal Fiber Optic Network, those 36,000 kilometers of fiber that cross the country and are used by virtually all telecommunications operators.
The deal, worth at least 30 million dollars, went to Tecnored, a Córdoba-based firm that partnered with Chinese giant Huawei. The tender, which according to Leal was «abbreviated,» pitted Tecnored-Huawei against Nokia, Ciena, and ZTE. They won on price, but the process was shrouded in shadows: not even the award data appears on Arsat’s transparency page.
What did get recorded, though not in official entry logs, were dozens of meetings between Arsat officials and Huawei executives. According to sources, they met frequently at the Wyndham hotel in Nordelta, at Arsat’s offices in Benavídez, and at the Piegari restaurant. All coordinated via WhatsApp with Leal’s secretaries. And not only that: sources claim Leal had three units at the Wyndham, some of which would be his property.
An obtained image shows Leal dining with Juan Bonora, vice president of Huawei, with a glass of wine in hand. The photo is from April-May 2021, right when the contract was awarded and signed. Days earlier, Leal had traveled to Córdoba to visit Juan Domínguez, president of Tecnored, in his home province. And in June of that year, both traveled together to Barcelona for a technology conference. There, according to several sources, Leal appeared one night with injuries on his face. He allegedly had a problem with a companion in the room. Domínguez was a witness and even spoke with the woman.
When consulted, Huawei said the meetings «are exclusively within the framework of our professional activity» and that «sharing a social space or the existence of a photograph in a public place does not imply any link or relationship with the facts attributed to the mentioned person.» Tecnored, for its part, announced it will take legal action against Arsat because they stopped paying for contracted services.
The origin of everything dates back to 2020, when the pandemic spiked data traffic and the federal network needed more capacity. Enacom approved the Capacity Increase Program with 3 billion pesos from the Universal Service Trust Fund. Arsat was put in charge of executing the works. The relationship between Tecnored and Huawei had begun that same year, and in 2021 Tecnored obtained Huawei’s highest certification as a value-added partner. In 2023, Tecnored itself posted on LinkedIn that it was working «alongside Huawei in the final stretch of the migration of the IP Core MPLS network at Arsat.»
Project sources confirmed that the tasks were carried out with Huawei equipment and that Tecnored acted as integrator. While the Justice system advances with the investigation into the 2.6 million dollars found at Leal’s homes, the fiber optic contract remains under scrutiny. Was everything legal, or was there more than wine and dinners in Nordelta?
Para mí esto huele a otro curro de los amigos del poder. Mientras la gilada se come un asado de soja, estos chorros se zarpan viajes a Córdoba con la guita de todes. Arsat, Huawei y Leal, todos garcas. ¡A la cárcel!
para mi este gobierno chorro nos afana hasta la fibra optica y los chinos se llenan los bolsillos mientras nosotros pagamos todo Leal y los suyos son unos hdp se creen vivos pero ya los vamos a agarrar fuera zurdos argentina primero!!!