MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine Senate bribes case keeps expanding

The former Argentine Senate official who last week blew the top of the Senate bribes scandal submitted as evidence an alleged “receipt” from one of the accused legislators.

Mario Pontaquarto who claims he personally delivered cash to the senators in exchange for their support in passing a contentious labour flexibility bill in April 2000 submitted the document to Judge Rodolfo Canicoba Corral.

Apparently the document also contains the names of Senators who were in office at the time the bill was approved for which they were paid the equivalent of 5 million US dollars.

The Senators allegedly involved in the scandal as well as former president Fernando De la Rúa and other officials of his administration have publicly and consistently denied any wrongdoing

However a second informer has emerged Martín Fraga Mancini, who at the time of the scandal worked with former Senator Remo Constanzo. Three years ago when questioned about the issue, Mr. Fraga Mancini had denied the exchange of money for votes.

The corruption case has been languishing in court for more than three years because of lack of conclusive evidence.

This week Judge Canicoba Corral reopened the case and immediately barred 18 names linked to the case, including former president De la Rua, Pontaquarto and 11 former senators from leaving Argentina.

Labour unions who openly opposed the bill and were the first to claim that votes were exchanged for money, have called for the repeal of the law.