Former Lieutenant-Colonel Aldo Rico, founder of the Movement for Dignity and Independence (Movimiento para la Dignidad y Independencia, MODIN) and ex-leader of the "carapintada" group of "junior and mid-level army officers" who took part in a number of barracks uprisings in the late 1980s (USIP Oct. 1996; Vanished Gallery 2000; La Tercera 1 Apr. 2000; LARR 11 Apr. 2000), was described as the administrator (intendente) of San Miguel for the Justicialist Party (Partido Justicialista, PJ) as recently as 22 November 2000 (La Hoja 22 Nov. 2000; Clarín 8 Nov. 2000; La Nación 30 Oct. 2000; Partido Justicialista Sept. 2000). Rico was elected administrator in October 1999, having received roughly 70 per cent of the votes cast (La Tercera 1 Apr. 2000; La Nación 8 Apr. 2000), and in November 1999 was appointed security minister for the province of Buenos Aires by Governor Carlos Ruckauf (ibid. 19 Nov. 1999). However, Rico was forced to resign from this position on 30 March 2000, having falsely accused President Fernando de la Rúa of employing Carlos "Indio" Castillo, a former member of the "carapintada" group, as one of his bodyguards (La Jornada 31 Mar. 2000; IPS 31 Mar. 2000; LARR 11 Apr. 2000).

In July 2000, a number of police officers and San Miguel municipal officials, including two of Aldo Rico's closest collaborators (más estrechos colaboradores), were accused of accepting bribes from members of a prostitution ring operating in the area (La Hoja 14 July 2000; La Nación 20 July 2000). No information on the outcome of the investigation into these allegations could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, in a vote held on 19 July 2000, members of the PJ-dominated San Miguel Deliberative Council (Concejo Deliberante) defeated a motion sponsored by Alliance (Alianza) councillors to force Rico to answer questions regarding the scandal (ibid.).

The Movement for Dignity and Independence, variously described as "right-wing", "ultra right-wing" and the "political expression of the carapintada movement" (expresión política del carapintadismo) (LARR 11 Apr. 2000; Vanished Gallery 2000; Página/12 17 Jan. 1999), was established in 1991 by Aldo Rico, who remained party leader until at least December 1998 (ibid.; LARR 11 Apr. 2000; Institute for Jewish Policy Research Dec. 1998). No reports of Rico leaving the party could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, in a 29 October 1999 report by the Buenos Aires newspaper Ambito Financiero, Rico was described as the "ex-leader of MODIN" (ex líder del MODIN), and in a separate article was reported to have joined the Buenos Aires provincial wing of the Justicialist Party (La Nación 8 Aug. 2000).

On its Website, the Santa Fe branch of MODIN identifies Alejandro Montiel as president of the party's national executive committee; Ricardo César Terán as first vice-president; Eduardo Basso del Pont as second vice-president; José Alejandro Boncci as secretary general; and Omar Panero, Laura Argañaraz, Julio Oscar Cáceres, Mirta González, Servando Spretz, Carlos Hoyos and René Moratorio as party secretaries. No reports of MODIN candidates being elected in federal or provincial elections held in 1999 or 2000 could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. According to the Institute for Jewish Policy, "MODIN's difficulties in consolidating an anti-government protest vote, have been compounded by its failure to attract fresh supporters and overcome a split that occurred in 1994" (Dec. 1998).

In 1987 and 1988, Lieutenant-Colonel Rico and Colonel Mohamed Ali Seineldin led a group of military personnel, who became known as "carapintadas ("painted faces") ... for the camouflage paint they applied to their faces" (USIP Oct. 1996), in a series of armed uprisings against the government of Raul Alfonsin (Vanished Gallery 2000; USIP Oct. 1996; Intervoz 30 Mar. 2000). The revolts, which were riggered by the "move to prosecute junior officers for human rights offenses" (USIP Oct. 1996), were put down by security forces loyal to the government, and the participants were imprisoned (Vanished Gallery 2000). However, many of these individuals, including Aldo Rico, were pardoned and released from prison in 1989, following the election of President Carlos Menem (ibid.).

A number of reports refer to the activities of individuals linked to the "carapintada" movement since 1993; examples follow.

According to the Institute of Jewish Policy,

Several MODIN leaders - including Emilio Morello, a former member of the lower house of congress - are part of the so-called Carapintada group under suspicion for links to the 1994 AMIA [Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina] bombing and other anti-Jewish incidents. It was alleged in 1995 that MODIN politicians joined forces with some non-commissioned army officers to trade stolen war explosives and weapons that may have been used in the AMIA attack (Dec. 1998).

In October 1998, in a case linked to the investigation of the AMIA bombing, public prosecutors asked federal court judge Juan José Galeano to initiate oral proceedings against a group of "carapintadas" and former military personnel suspected of having acquired explosives from military arsenals (Clarín 21 Oct. 1998). No information on the outcome of the proceedings could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

In November 1999, authorities announced that they had initiated an investigation of tax evasion on adulterated fuel by companies linked to former members of the "carapintada" movement, including Aldo Rico's wife, Noemí Crocco, and to an ex-MODIN national deputy, Emilio Morello (ibid. 7 Nov. 1999). In March 2000, two companies allegedly involved in fuel adulteration and in tax evasion were searched by the authorities (ibid. 10 Mar. 2000). Two individuals linked to these companies, Héctor Edgardo Bonino and Armando Arano, both former "carapintadas", were accused of tax evasion and falsification of documents in connection with the case (ibid.). No information on the outcome of this investigation could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

On 28 July 2000, a complaint against Hugo Vercellotti was submitted to the public prosecutor, after Vercellotti, a former member of the "carapintada" movement employed by Aldo Rico as security and civil defence director for the municipality of San Miguel, allegedly lamented the fact that one cannot kill criminals, and stated that laws are an obstacle in the fight against crime (un obstáculo para la lucha contra la inseguridad) (La Nación 29 July 2000).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Ambito Financiero [Buenos Aires]. 29 October 1999. "Duhalde ve bien a Rico en Seguridad." http://www.afinanciero.com/ [Accessed 23 Nov. 2000]

Clarín [Buenos Aires]. 8 November 2000. "'Soldado' Aldo Rico." http://www.clarin.com.ar/ [Accessed 23 Nov. 2000]

_____. 10 March 2000. Daniel Santoro. "Naftas: denuncian por fraude a ex carapintadas." http://www.clarin.com.ar/ [Accessed 17 Nov. 2000]

_____. 7 November 1999. Daniel Santoro and Daniel Gutman. "Contrabando de naftas: la conexión carapintada." http://www.clarin.com.ar/ [Accessed 23 Nov. 2000]

_____. 21 October 1998. "AMIA: indagan a dos comisarios." http://www.clarin.com.ar/ [Accessed 23 Nov. 2000]

La Hoja [San Miguel]. 22 November 2000. "Le presentaron el consorcio a Ruckauf." http://www.diariolahoja.com/ [Accessed 23 Nov. 2000]

_____. 14 July 2000. "Zilocchi y Pérez implicados." http://www.diariolahoja.com/ [Accessed 23 Nov. 2000]

Institute for Jewish Policy Research. December 1998. "Antisemitism and Xenophobia Today: Argentina." http://www.axt.org.uk/antisem/countries/argentina/argentina.htm [Accessed 24 Nov. 2000]

Inter Press Service (IPS). 31 March 2000. Marcela Valente. "Politics-Argentina: Scandal-Laden Security Minister Resigns." (NEXIS)

Intervoz [Córdoba]. 30 March 2000. "Por ahora, Ruckauf no le pedirá la renuncia a Rico." http://www.intervoz.com.ar/ [Accessed 23 Nov. 2000]

La Jornada [Mexico]. 31 March 2000. "Renuncia Aldo Rico al Ministerio de Seguridad." http://www.jornada.unam.mx/ [Accessed 23 Nov. 2000]

Latin American Regional Reports (LARR) Southern Cone Report [London]. 11 April 2000. "Ruckauf Shows Rico the Door." (NEXIS)

Movimiento para la Dignidad y Independencia (MODIN), Distrito Santa Fe. October 2000. "Junta Ejecutiva Nacional." http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Parliament/9268/juntaejecutivanacl.htm [Accessed 23 Nov. 2000]

La Nación [Buenos Aires]. 8 August 2000. César Sánchez Bonifato. "El abogado que enfrenta a Thatcher." http://www.lanacion.com.ar [Accessed 23 Nov. 2000]

_____. 29 July 1999. Pablo Morosi. "Un funcionario de Rico dijo que hay que eliminar a los ladrones." http://www.lanacion.com.ar [Accessed 23 Nov. 2000]

_____. 20 July 1999. "Citarían a Rico en la causa de las coimas." http://www.lanacion.com.ar [Accessed 23 Nov. 2000]

_____. 8 April 2000. Martín Rodríguez Yebra and Gustavo Ríos. "Rico: 'Estoy dispuesto a dar más batallas." http://www.lanacion.com.ar [Accessed 23 Nov. 2000]

_____. 19 November 1999. Luis Moreiro. "Rico quiere frenar los delitos en 30 dias." http://www.lanacion.com.ar [Accessed 8 Mar. 2000]

Página/12 [Buenos Aires]. 17 January 1999. Sergio Kiernan and Laura Vales. "Los neonazis muestran otra vez señales de actividad." http://www.pagina12.com.ar [Accessed 23 Nov. 2000]

Partido Justicialista, Provincia de Buenos Aires. September 2000. "Nuestros intendentes." http://www.pjbonarense.org.ar/mapapolitico/intendentes.htm [Accessed 23 Nov. 2000]

La Tercera [Santiago de Chile]. 1 April 2000. "Finalmente, reemplazaron a Rico." http://www.tercera.cl [Accessed 23 Nov. 2000]

United States Institute for Peace (USIP). October 1996. State and Soldier in Latin America. http://www.usip.org/pubs/pworks/state10/chap2_10.html [Accessed 23 Nov. 2000]

Vanished Gallery. 2000. "Argentina Military Junta Members, Top Officers, and Ministers." http://www.yendor.com/vanished/junta.html [Accessed 23 Nov. 2000]

IRB databases.

LEXIS-NEXIS.

Internet sites including:

Amnesty International.

Clarín [Buenos Aires]. 1998-2000.

Elecciones'99.

Guía Electoral.

Human Rights Watch.

La Nación [Buenos Aires]. 1998-2000.