An attorney pressed criminal charges against the directors of state-run airline Aerolíneas Argentinas over a controversial flight that transported government officials and union leaders from Buenos Aires to Montevideo to attend a soccer game on October 17.

Anti-corruption advocate Ricardo Monner Sans filed a lawsuit accusing the airline - chaired by Mariano Recalde (the son of CGT trustee Héctor Recalde) - of fraud against the state and called on the judiciary to adopt "urgent measures" to go forward with the investigation.

Monner Sans urged judge María Servini de Cubria to conduct raids at the airline, after officials of the government admitted that a flight of the state-run airline with capacity for 140 passengers was used to transport 40 people to the Argentina - Uruguay World Cup qualifiers.

Recalde, who was among in passenger list, denied reports saying the aircraft had been chartered to transport government officials claiming the service had been added because two previous flights were full. He told the press that he had paid for his ticket.

The opposition meanwhile claims there were vacant seats on the other flights, and reported that the flight had been used to transport union leaders close to the government, including the son of CGT head Hugo Moyano, Facundo Moyano and other Kirchnerite supporters.

Most of the tickets were issued using the company's WW code, which fails to specify their prices.

Monner Sans asked the court to investigate "who ordered the trip" and "why did he order the plain to wait for the passengers" before returning to Argentina, which meant additional costs for the airline.

Monner Sans also requested that Servini de Cubria probe into "which were the losses registered by the company since it was re-nationalized last year" from Spanish group Marsans.

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