MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay: ex-presidential custody chief used to offer State spying system; opposition warned of “bribes”

Astesiano (on the left) is in prison charged with three crimes, awaiting an agreement with the Prosecutor's Office or the trial

Alejandro Astesiano, the former custodian of President Luis Lacalle Pou, offered the use of El Guardián, the telephone tapping system of the Interior Ministry, which can only be accessed with judicial authorization. The prosecutor in charge of the case, Gabriela Fosatti, investigates in depth the use that Astesiano had of this tool, it was reported.

Prosecutor's office spokesman, Javier Benech, said last week that “there is no certainty” that the former custodian had used El Guardián. In adition, the Interior Ministry denies that he had done so.

MVD Noticias reported on Thursday that the ex-custodian used El Guardián illegally and with the complicity of police officials, to check phones at the request of an Argentine businessman. The message includes chats that were recovered by the Scientific Police and that were disclosed by La Diaria.

Astesiano is in prison charged with three crimes, awaiting an agreement with the Prosecutor's Office or the trial.

“It is a lie”

The Minister of the Interior, Luis Alberto Heber, spoke on Monday before the Commission of Public Security of the Senate to address explanations to the legislators about the case of the former Presidential custodian.

In a press conference, he assured that the versions that came out that Astesiano used the spy system El Guardián are “lies”.

“A lie is a lie. It has no explanation. It is not possible to enter El Guardián if it is not for a police fact that is denounced in a public prosecutor's office that finds elements to take the matter to a judge, who is the one who determines the intervention. I cannot explain lies. I am not here to talk about the case, I am here to talk about the system and to defend it. The Guardian's system is a good system that we are improving to better comply with the work of investigation”, said Heber.

Opposition denounces corruption at the government HQ

In the other hand, the Political Board of the Frente Amplio (Broad Front, FA) met at its HQ to address this case.

The president of the political force, Fernando Pereira, warned about “bribes” and “serious acts of corruption” which took place on “the fourth floor of the Executive Tower” for State purchases.

“Today it is published that there were bribes. That which is called 'commission' is when someone asks for a bribe for purchases of different issues for the State, and they were attended on the fourth floor of the Executive Tower”, expressed the president of the FA in a press conference.