Beligoy invested US$261,000 in a real estate developer under investigation and faces doubts about the origin of the money

Federico Beligoy has a problem with money in La Plata. The secretary general of the Argentine Referees' Association (AAA) and National Director of Refereeing of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) lost more than US$250,000 in a real estate venture that fell through, and whose developer is under judicial investigation for alleged fraud, fraudulent administration and criminal association. But his problem is even bigger. Why? Because the fortune he lost is undeclared money. Conclusion? Beligoy does not appear among those who went to court to claim the money they had put in, as LA NACION reconstructed based on court documents and sources familiar with what has happened over recent months. The scheme, which raises questions about the origin of those funds and their consistency with the income Beligoy declared to the tax authorities, began to take shape on May 3, 2024. That Friday, Beligoy paid out US$139,745 to buy apartment "B" on the sixth floor, plus a parking space, in the building that the real estate firm Abes was constructing, at cost, at 59 Street number 784, between 10 and 11, in La Plata. That same day he put in another US$121,745 for apartment "B" on the fifth floor of the same building, within the so-called "Lucero Trust." Total: 261,490 dollars. The transactions were documented in two "class C trustor contribution commitments for incorporation into the at-cost trust Abes Lucero with guaranteed income." It was all smiles and promises between Beligoy and the developers, who agreed to make an exception. Which one? Unlike all the other contracts, which were signed by Abes subordinates, the contract signed with the refereeing official was signed by one of the partners and legal representatives of the real estate firm, Diego Lacki. In fact, it was the only contract recovered by investigators during the raids that bears his signature, according to court evidence. Why? "Because Beligoy asked for it that way, so no one would see him," Lacki explained when questioned in court, as recalled by a source who heard his statement. Beligoy's payments of more than a quarter of a million dollars appear in an internal accounting record drawn up by the developer's accountants, as LA NACION reconstructed. In a chart they identified the investors, the real estate units that corresponded to them and the amounts they contributed. That record allowed investigators to reconstruct who had placed money in the various Abes ventures and constitutes independent evidence of the existence of the transactions attributed to Beligoy. VAR training at AFAAFAOf working-class background, Beligoy lived for years in Santos Lugares, in a modest, one-story house, to which he later added a second floor. But in recent years, as he strengthened his ties with the president of the AFA, Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia, the former international referee showed a significant increase in wealth, as did his family circle, as LA NACION reconstructed over recent months. Beligoy did not respond to the messages LA NACION sent him to ask about the investments, the origin of the funds, the payment method, the reasons why he did not pursue a legal claim, and whether he sought to recover the money through other means. The soccer worldThat Friday in May 2024, while Beligoy and Lacki were signing the trust contracts, a scandal was dominating the press. It had come to light that the then director general of Customs appointed by President Javier Milei had taken on a debt of US$250,000 with a company accused of smuggling. Three weeks later, the official resigned. In La Plata, the developer Abes also fell, but not until early 2026, caught up in a scandal that shook the capital of Buenos Aires province. An investigation was opened into the alleged crimes of fraud, fraudulent administration and criminal association, handled by Fiscal Unit No. 3, headed by prosecutor Gonzalo Petit Bosnic, who ordered multiple evidentiary measures, requested raids and seized documentation from the real estate firm. Court document in which Federico Beligoy is mentioned. As the days passed, it became clear that the operation of "Abes Desarrolladora de Negocios SRL," its formal name, left between 150 and 160 investors harmed. Among them, former player and coach Pedro Troglio and other local soccer players, with losses of several million dollars from the halted works and contractual breaches. Now, the investigation covers at least five trusts: Abes Thymos, Abes Dezzeo, Abes Vita, Abes Lucero and Abes Alquimia. The investigators seek to determine what happened to the funds contributed by the investors and whether part of that money ended up going to the developer's operating expenses, obligations of other ventures or related companies. Accounting movements and allocations of functional units that may have served to offset debts are also being investigated. Federico Beligoy, in his days as a professional refereeDaniel Jayo / archive - LA NACIONThe company, as investigators confirmed, offered opportunities from the ground-breaking stage to investors like Beligoy and Troglio, with the promise of delivering finished apartments in short periods and with monthly income updatable until the completion of the works. "They were clauses attractive to any investor and that served us greatly to cover expenses in Argentina," Troglio stated in his complaint, accompanied by his lawyer, Miguel Molina, who set out in court that, as time went by, the promises turned into works with no progress or abandoned. "They would tell us about union problems, conflicts with suppliers and inspections," Troglio and Molina detailed in their court filing. "They never accounted for the destination of the funds, nor did they provide a list of the other investors." Among them, it now comes to light, was also Beligoy, who committed US$261,490 in two apartments in the venture. Beligoy's situation takes on an additional dimension given the positions he holds in Argentine soccer. He is not only the secretary general of one of the unions that represent referees: he is also the National Director of Refereeing of the AFA, a structure from which he exercises responsibilities over those he simultaneously represents as a union. As the country's top refereeing official, Beligoy has faced criticism for years. The president of Banfield, Matías Mariotto, was the first to go after him. Then, the president of Lanús, Nicolás Russo, said his cycle was "over." He was followed by Daniel Vila, the owner of Independiente Rivadavia de Mendoza, who called him a "bandit," while the former president of River Plate, Jorge Brito (h), demanded his departure. "He is a central part of the problem," he said. "If the AFA and Tapia care about building a transparent soccer, I think the first thing they should do is replace this man, who acknowledges and says that the only way he is willing to manage the referees is by hand-picking them." Now, to those criticisms is added a wealth mystery: how Beligoy financed two real estate investments of more than a quarter of a million dollars, what is the origin of that money, and why, unlike other victims, he has not gone to court, at least so far, to claim it. _______________________________ With the collaboration of Ignacio Grimaldi and Ricardo Brom. By Hugo Alconada Mon, Nicolás Pizzi Type of work: Original news article