Defence seeks acquittal for former naval commander in ARA San Juan submarine trial

A former Argentine naval officer accused over the 2017 implosion of the submarine ARA San Juan sought acquittal on Thursday, arguing there is no evidence that his actions led to the deaths of the vessel's 44 crew members.

The disaster – the deadliest peacetime tragedy in the history of the Argentine Navy – is being examined in a trial in the southern city of Río Gallegos, which seeks to determine whether four former senior officers committed administrative, maintenance and safety failures that allowed the submarine to sail in poor condition.

Prosecutors on Monday requested a five-year prison sentence and a lifetime ban from public office for former submarine force commander Claudio Villamide. They allege he failed to take into account the submarine's "deficient enlistment conditions" and ignored a recommendation that it be taken to dry dock for safety inspections.

Villamide and three other former officers are charged with dereliction of duty and aggravated negligent destruction.

"We have no conclusive evidence that there was a breach of duty, much less that any such breach could have influenced an unknown event that we are calling a disaster," Villamide's lawyer, Juan Pablo Vigliero, told the court during a hearing broadcast live.

Vigliero argued that the submarine "was ready" to sail and that his client acted "in accordance with naval regulations."

The prosecution has also recommended prison terms of between three-and-a-half and five years for the three other defendants. Lawyers representing the families of the victims, comprising 43 men and one woman, have likewise sought custodial sentences for all four accused.

The ARA San Juan disappeared in the South Atlantic in November 2017 while returning to its home port at the Mar del Plata naval base after departing from Ushuaia, near Argentina's southern tip.

The submarine's last communication came on November 15, 2017, when it reported an electrical fault and a small fire on board. More than a dozen countries joined a massive search operation that lasted weeks.

The vessel was eventually located a year later by a British marine robotics company at a depth of around 900 metres and roughly 500 kilometres off the coast of Santa Cruz Province. Its crushed wreckage remains on the seabed.

The exact cause of the disaster has never been definitively established. Prosecutors believe a faulty valve in a cooling pipe allowed water to enter the battery compartment, triggering a fire that ultimately led to the submarine's implosion.

Investigators have been unable to conduct mechanical examinations of the wreck because of its location on the ocean floor. The submarine was also subject to a 100-metre diving restriction at the time of its final voyage because tests remained outstanding following repair work.

The trial will resume on July 6 with arguments from the remaining defence teams. A verdict is expected in August.

– TIMES/AFP