The case against a married man and a divorcee arrested for allegedly having sex in business class on a Copa Airlines flight from Panama to Argentina has been dismissed. Mauricio C., 54, and Sandra O., 59, were reportedly covered by a blanket during the incident, which occurred in early May.
Cabin crew were alerted by another passenger whose granddaughter noticed movement under the blanket. The captain was notified, and upon landing in Rosario, Santa Fe Province, Argentina, airport police arrested the pair. Mauricio is an architect and railway construction manager, and Sandra manages a day center and elder-care facility.
Prosecutors gathered statements from passengers and crew during a three-month investigation under Argentina's public indecency statute. One passenger stated she saw the pair kissing but did not witness any explicit sexual acts. Another passenger reported confronting Mauricio after allegedly spotting exposed genitals. There was no CCTV in the business-class cabin.
Sandra's defense argued that the cabin crew fabricated the allegations following an argument over a glass of whiskey during mid-flight turbulence. "Her defense maintained that the incident was fabricated in retaliation after a heated argument with a flight attendant over a glass of whisky during mid-flight turbulence," according to the report.
Prosecutor María Cecilia Marcolin Loberse officially dismissed the investigation. The ruling stated that the conduct did not meet the legal threshold for criminal obscenity, as Argentine law requires a proven, deliberate intention to expose oneself or offend others' modesty. The dismissal signifies that the gathered evidence could not substantiate a criminal offense, not that the alleged acts did not occur. The file has been definitively archived.
The pair reportedly met for the first time on the flight. Mauricio is married with three children, who were present at the terminal to pick him up when he was taken into custody.