Disgraced former provincial deputy Germán Kiczka, wanted by the courts on charges of paedophilia and child pornography, has been arrested by police in Corrientes Province after six days on the run.
Kiczka, 44, from the Activar party in the neighbouring Misiones region, was captured by police at a campsite in the city of Loreto, 184 kilometres from the provincial capital.
"The deputy did not resist or try to escape," Misiones deputy police chief Marcos López told the press.
Though he was apprehended, another man managed to escape. Police believe that may be Kiczka’s brother, Sebastian, who is also on the run.
Both of the brothers have been charged with possession of and distribution of material involving the sexual exploitation of minors, as well as being part of a network of paedophiles.
The raid took place following a tip-off from a local resident, who said she spotted Kiczka near a campsite. Police sources said a large sum of money was found, along with at least three vehicles.
In a video published on social media, the ex-provincial lawmaker – who stands accused of being part of a paedophile ring – can be seen complaining of “political persecution” as he is photographed by the media.
The captured fugitive will now be taken from Loreto to the city of Apóstoles in Misiones Province where he will be handed over to the courts.
The ex-deputy, who was expelled by the provincial legislature last week after the allegations against him were made public, was thought to have crossed over the border into Brazil or Paraguay.
An international warrant for his arrest was issued by Interpol earlier this week as search efforts intensified.
The politician is seriously implicated in the ongoing investigation, which was sparked by an alert by the US organisation ICMEC (International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children).
According to the investigation, the former lawmaker had over 600 pornographic files involving children and adolescents on his various devices.
On Tuesday, protesters took to the streets of Apóstoles, where Kiczka resided, to express anger at a perceived lack of action from provincial and national authorities.
Denouncing a “paedophile mafia” with banners and slogans, the demonstrators called for a deeper investigation into the allegations against the former deputy.
Security Minister Patricia Bullrich celebrated the arrest of the “paedophile deputy” in a post on the X social network, ensuring her followings that “mental deviants are going to pay.”
Her post, which included a photograph of the detained ex-lawmaker was mocked by some social media users, who noted that Kiczka still had his personal mobile phone in his pocket.
All of Argentina’s main parties have sought to distance themselves from Kiczka, whose background includes ties to Peronism, Juntos por el Cambio and La Libertad Avanza.
Kiczka has been a member of Activar, a provincial party, in recent years. The political grouping is led by Pedro Puerta, the son of and former Misiones governor Ramón Puerta, who served two days as Argentina’s President in 2001.
Pedro Puerta, described the revelations about his until recent friend as “repugnant” and “completely disgusting.”
“‘I have nothing to do with him. I find him completely disgusting and I never imagined that someone facing such accusations would have sat next to me,” said Puerta.
Since March, Activar has been aligned with President Javier Milei’s government, working with ruling party national deputy Florencia Klipauka.
Milei, who has not yet commented on the scandal publicly, part-referred to the furore with a bad taste joke on social media.
The 53-year-old head of state reposted a post featuring a digitally altered image of Kiczka with national lawmaker Martín Tetaz (Unión Cívica Radical-Buenos Aires City).
"Graphic proof of the paedophile deputy of Misiones wanting to abuse a little boy," reads the text accompanying the image, which riffs on Tetaz’s height.
– TIMES/PERFIL
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