Río Negro legislator Magdalena Odarda believes that if "complicity" between the oil groups, with the participation of British companies that operated illegally in the Malvinas Islands, is proven, " the concession must be declared null and void." This outlines the potential legal horizon for the National Energy Secretariat and the leaders of three Patagonian provinces, who are responsible for allowing Harbour Energy to operate.

The accusation takes on greater significance after the legislator expanded her views on the program " We are not neutral ," on Radio+ 104.9 mhz in Río Grande , hosted by the former Secretary of Energy of Tierra del Fuego , Moisés Solorza .

Odarda 's statement is not merely a political criticism; it is based on an unavoidable legal precedent: Case No. 5183/15, which is being processed in the Federal Court of Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego , initiated in 2015 by former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner . No one from the political leadership of Tierra del Fuego or the country has wanted to revisit the case or even know its status. In it, former judge Lilian Herráez sanctioned Premier Oil for illegal exploration in the Sea Lion oil field , under a British license in the Malvinas Islands, disqualifying it for 15 years in a ruling that imposed seizures of assets totaling more than $156 million ($156,432,000).

The crux of the complaint is corporate identity : Odarda claims that Harbour Energy is the same as Premier Oil, as a result of having proven the continuity of the sanctioned company, through official documents from the United Kingdom and the Official Gazette of the Argentine Republic, where it is observed that they share the same legal registration number . This maneuver, it maintains, constitutes a fraud under Argentine law designed to avoid disqualification and continue operating, even acquiring assets in the Southern Marine Basin 1 (CMA-1) in Tierra del Fuego and Neuquén .

The crossroads of nullity and the defense of sovereignty

The legislator was emphatic in outlining the legal consequences of proving this action: if it is verified that Harbour Energy is the successor to Premier Oil, the authorizations granted by the Energy Secretariat and the provincial governments would be automatically invalidated for violating Law 26.659 . Not only would the legality of the concessions be jeopardized, but also the validity of public hearings such as the one for the Southern Energy project (a consortium to which Harbour belongs), formed for the construction of a gas pipeline and the export of gas from Río Negro .

"The defense of sovereignty is not mere rhetoric," Odarda stated. By allowing a company sanctioned for operating illegally in the Malvinas Islands to operate freely on the mainland, national and provincial authorities are undermining the nation's historic and constitutional claim. This action sends a dangerous message internationally, suggesting a weakness in Argentina's stance against the usurpation of strategic resources in the Malvinas Islands .

Political complicity and the future of civil servants

The scandal extends to a "chain of complicity" in Patagonia. The National Energy Secretariat, headed by María del Carmen Tettamanti , issued permits with "suspicious speed" that allowed Harbour Energy to enter the country through consortiums, ignoring the judicial precedent .

The case of Tierra del Fuego is particularly serious. Although Governor Gustavo Melella described the entry of Harbour Energy as an "extremely serious act" for violating Law 26.659, he subsequently extended the Fénix oil field concession to the consortium in which the British oil company participates . The illegality takes on greater significance when, understanding the criminal act of the oil company and the complicity of its partners, the governor instigated the Tierra del Fuego Legislature to approve the renewal of Tierra del Fuego's largest oil contract with false information about the company's identity .

The complaint filed by Odarda with the Office of the Attorney General for Administrative Investigations (PIA) seeks to investigate the possible case of corruption and determine the responsibility of the officials involved. If fraud and complicity in the licensing of a disqualified company are confirmed, the legal consequences could be more than severe .