The man who tried to steal Horacio Rosatti's car confessed that he was looking for the president of the Supreme Court's cell phone or computer.

The press operations and illegal espionage against judges investigating or intervening in cases involving Cristina Kirchner continue unabated. Now, Damian Barruet, the 47-year-old man arrested last May for attempting to steal the car of Supreme Court Justice Horacio Rosatti, testified this Monday before the Second Federal Oral Court, which is trying him, and confessed that he wanted to steal Rosatti's cell phone or computer from his car, which was parked next to the courthouse.

Harassed by the security video footage that captured him outside the courthouse, Barruet attempted to explain that he tried to open the car to see if there was a cell phone or computer inside. However, he was unable to answer prosecutor Diego Luciani's questions in light of other evidence that implicated him as allegedly part of a coordinated operation to obtain confidential information.

The prosecution is convinced this was not a simple robbery. For the accusers, "someone ordered the thief to open the truck assigned to Rosatti," judicial sources said.

Judicial sources told Clarín that one of the most striking details of the case "is that they were looking for something specific in the vehicle. Not only is it suspected that he knew in advance that he was heading for the president of the Court's car, but he was also looking for a briefcase."

This is evident from Luciani's questioning at the hearing presided over by Judge Néstor Costabel. "Beyond the facts, what we're trying to find out here is what's behind them," Luciani said while questioning the accused.

"You did not attempt to steal any other van," the prosecutor stated during his interrogation.

Rosatti has already had his cell phone hacked twice, as have the other two judges on the Supreme Court, Ricardo Lorenzetti and Carlos Rosenkrantz, among others.

Barruet insisted he didn't know the car belonged to the president of the Supreme Court and said he had only approached out of curiosity. However, the prosecutor found his statement unbelievable when he claimed he hadn't seen another vehicle at the scene, something that contrasts with the footage of the incident. It was a Thursday afternoon, and many people were circulating around the courts, and vehicles assigned to the Supreme Court were parked in that area.

Another point that remains unclear for the prosecution is that the defendant was carrying a handheld device. The defendant couldn't even name a phone when they asked for his information, and they seized everything he was carrying. However, he claimed he had bought a handheld device four months earlier, although he said he wasn't going to talk to anyone. After the investigation, the court heard from several witnesses to the incident: two police officers and a shop owner who witnessed the incident.

It all happened on May 30, 2024, during a public hearing attended by Rosatti, federal judges, and representatives of the Judicial Council. In that context, Berruet was caught forcing the lock of an official Toyota SW4, assigned to the president of the Supreme Court, inside the parking lot reserved for the highest court.

Armed with a sharp object, he threatened the security guard who discovered him and fled on foot down Uruguay Street. The incident was captured on security cameras and ended two blocks later, when he was arrested at the corner of Lavalle and Paraná by City Police officers.

Berruet, a native of Córdoba, already had an arrest warrant in force since May 2023 for a case of gender-based violence against his ex-partner, in addition to more than ten prior convictions for robbery, theft, and resisting arrest.

The case was investigated by federal prosecutor Franco Picardi. When the case was referred to trial, the preliminary investigation stated that the Public Prosecutor's Office established that Damián Berruet, "on May 30, 2024, at approximately 1:40 p.m., attempted to unlawfully seize a white Toyota SW4, which was parked on Uruguay Street between Nos. 581 and 549 in this Autonomous City of Buenos Aires."

"As established, the defendant attempted to open the vehicle using a screwdriver, and while doing so, his activity was interrupted by the actions of Assistant Warrant Officer Cristian Adrián Ferreiros, an officer of the Supreme Court of Justice Division of the Argentine Federal Police," the motion for trial detailed.

Beyond the attempted robbery that landed Berruet in the dock, justice is seeking to move forward and determine whether there was someone above this man who instructed him in the crime he committed.

In fact, a case is still under investigation into the allocation of telephone lines—unsolicited—to Horacio Rosatti, along with other irregularities involving other members of the Supreme Court of Justice.

When the facts that will be discussed in the single-person trial were detailed, it was determined that Berruet "attempted to flee, a situation that began a foot chase that culminated a few blocks later with his arrest by officers Fiamma Belén Wagner and Nataly Quimey Hilt."

At the time of his arrest, he falsely claimed to be Franco Daniel Molina. It was immediately confirmed that this information was false, and when he was searched, it was determined that he was in possession of a handy radio "specially configured to jam car keys and an Allen key with a filed tip."

During the investigation, it was established that "Berruet lived in the province of Córdoba and frequently came to this city to commit crimes, possibly with other people; and that the crime was recorded on video."

Wearing a black jacket, dark pants, and brown sneakers, Berruet was carrying a gray and black backpack that day. The video footage shows him approaching the Toyota SW4 pickup truck. The sequence was then detailed: "He cuts in between two vehicles: a white Toyota SW4 with license plate AE026UF and a similar black one, pulls up onto the sidewalk, turns around while appearing to grab something, and returns to the driver's door of the pickup truck assigned to Dr. Rosatti. At that moment, the maneuver is noticed by Assistant Warrant Officer Cristian Ferreiros," who immediately intervenes.

Berruet was part of a group dedicated to committing minor robberies and thefts in Buenos Aires, according to the investigation. "Their level of organization is considered moderate, considering that over the past two months, they would have been making trips to Buenos Aires City lasting two or three days, where they could commit various crimes and then return to their province. This time away makes it difficult to track down their perpetrators and also allows them to assess the repercussions of the case."