Environmental Investigations Prosecutorial Unit (UFIMA) directed by Prosecutor Ramiro González
The Environmental Investigations Prosecutorial Unit (UFIMA) is a specialized dependency of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Argentine Nation, with a federal criminal jurisdiction that extends throughout the country. Its main function consists of intervening in the investigation of those facts that, due to their characteristics and consequences, may constitute crimes against the environment, in accordance with the current regulatory framework.
The direction of UFIMA is led by federal prosecutor Ramiro González, who is responsible for the planning of investigations, the supervision of procedural decisions, and the coordination of interdisciplinary work that is necessary to advance in cases of notorious technical complexity.
The unit was created through Resolution PGN Nº 123/06 of the National Attorney General’s Office. Its establishment responded to the structural need of the justice system to provide an effective criminal response to facts that are not exhausted in the merely administrative or supervisory sphere, but rather fall within the scope of the Penal Code, such as those contemplated in articles 200 to 207, or in special laws with direct criminal implications.
UFIMA investigates infractions of regulations such as Law 24.051 on hazardous waste, Law 22.421 on wildlife conservation, and Law 26.331 on the protection of native forests, among others. The prosecutor’s office can initiate preliminary investigations based on formal complaints, technical reports, administrative proceedings, or publicly known facts.
The work of UFIMA is carried out in a necessary coordination with public bodies such as the Ministry of Environment, the Argentine Naval Prefecture, the National Gendarmerie, the Federal Police, and the General Directorate of Customs, as well as with national universities that have technical bodies or specialized laboratories.
Depending on the nature of the case, international cooperation is also sought within the framework of treaties signed by Argentina, such as the Basel Convention for the control of transboundary movements of hazardous waste.
The functioning of UFIMA does not imply the replacement of administrative environmental control entities. Its intervention of a criminal nature is only justified when the reported act exceeds simple regulatory non-compliance or administrative conflict, and may constitute a typical, unlawful, and culpable conduct according to the current criminal order.