MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Former Mauricio Macri aide booed at Parlasur: his dismissal to be voted on shortly

Pepín first tried to seek political asylum in Uruguay. He is wanted in Argentina for allegedly coercing owners of a media outlet into selling their stakes to Macrist buyers

Argentina's Fabián “Pepín” Rodríguez Simón, a former aide to then-Argentine President Mauricio Macri, was forced to leave the Parlasur's building Monday when he showed up and was jeered at by the other legislators, who agreed to vote on his dismissal during the next plenary session.

Pepín, whose extradition has been requested by Argentine Judicial authorities, has been unable to leave Montevideo to shelter behind his alleged immunity as a Member of Parlasur.

Rodríguez Simón is involved in a probe into under-the-table deals with members of the Judiciary during Macri's tenure (2015-2019). He decided not to testify in the case of threat and extortion and fled to Uruguay, where he has been living for more than a year with an international arrest warrant from Interpol.

Read also: Uruguayan judge halts extradition of Pepín pending outcome of political asylum request

Argentine Mercosur Parliamentarian María Luisa Storani requested Pepín turned himself in. “We request Mr. Parliamentarian Fabián Rodríguez Simón to appear before the Argentine Justice,” said Storani, while seven other legislators called for Pepín's dismissal as a Parlasur deputy.

Those who opposed his expulsion were Humberto Benedetto of Macri's Juntos por el Cambio (JxC) and Conrado Rodríguez of Uruguay's Colorado Party.

In order for Rodríguez Simón to be expelled from Parlasur, two-thirds of the legislators present need to vote in favor of it.