MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine President denounces somber deals between judges, media, and Macrist officials

Fernández also asked federal lawmakers to move forward with the Judiciary reform and with the appointment of a new Attorney General

Argentine President Alberto Fernández sent a message through the national broadcast network announcing he would be instructing the Justice Ministry and the representative of the Executive Branch within the Council of the Magistracy to investigate a news report that a group of judges and other high-ranking officials had convened at the Patagonian estate of British tycoon Joe Lewis, who is said to be a close friend of former President Mauricio Macri's.

Fernández said he was particularly interested in finding out who had provided for the private flights as well as the housing of the attendees. The head of state also insisted that he was forced to communicate through the national broadcast network after several privately-owned news outlets gave no coverage to the scandalous allegations. “It seems proven that the trip did take place,” Fernández argued.

The head of state also underlined that Argentina needed honest judges and businessmen, and that the latter needed to earn their profits from fair-play entrepreneurship.

Audios of these meetings featuring Macrist businessmen and magistrates were leaked to the press. The meeting reportedly took place in October. In those conversations, the attendees were trying to come up with a joint excuse for the trip.

Tiempo Argentino Sunday disclosed the chats and audios between Clarín Legal Affairs Director Pablo Casey, CEO Jorge Rendo, and Judges Pablo Yadarola, Julián Ercolini, Pablo Cayssials, and Carlos “Coco” Mahiques; in addition to Buenos Aires City Security Minister Marcelo D'Alessandro; former Intelligence Secretariat (SIDE) Legal Affairs boss Tomás Reinke; and former SIDE chief Leonardo Bergroth. SIDE has been rebranded as Federal Intelligence Agency (AFI).

The meeting was undeniably linked to Macri and Buenos Aires Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta of the PRO party, due to which President Fernández also called Buenos Aires city authorities to impeach those involved in the somber dealings

Leaders of the ruling Frente de Todos coalition's Bariloche offices filed a case for “violation of the duties of a public official, admission of gifts and influence peddling” after the large delegation convened at the Rio Negro resort's international airport.

Casey reportedly texted the attendees: “Guys, beyond everything you pay, I want to tell you that I am in charge of everything because it is my responsibility,” to which Yadarola replied that “we are a group and you were more than generous in your invitation.”

Rendo, who had guaranteed Clarin's silence, has also admitted he was worried about pictures of the attendees together at the Bariloche airport.

“Difficult to explain that we all together went somewhere else without leaving loose ends,” acknowledged Ercolini, while Cayssials suggested they could all argue that they had stayed at a house owned by a friend of his, “who can say that he lent it to us.”

Judge Yadarola pointed the finger directly at Airport Security Police Chief José Glinski for the leaking of the pictures. “He is responsible,” Yadarola reportedly said, while D'Alessndro replied that “if at some point it were my turn to be [Security] Minister of the Nation, the first thing I do is to dissolve the PSA.”

“Give me the pleasure of going to look for him with one of our patrol cars and I'll make him shit,” he wrote to Judge Yadarola.

“Please, contain me because I'm running out of patience,” Judge Mahiques of a Court of Appeals stressed.

“Coco, when we have everything closed, we go on the offensive. It still seems to me that there is fire from all sides and of all kinds. We have to get together for the strategy,” Bergroth said.

“We should let the PSA know that we are going to shoot them with heavy ammunition and that they better not give anything else,” Mahiques added.

”We have to denounce the illegal espionage and the violation of the duties of an official to the head of the PSA (...) The issue is whether we do it or an NGO [does it] or a third party“.

”We will do that later (...) Then we will see the third party,“ Ercolini sentenced.

In view of these reports, President Fernández also said in his recorded message that Argentina ”needs honest officials, honest judges, and businessmen who obtain their profits without corrupting others.“

”Everything seems to indicate that the deterioration of the institutional quality of some judges, prosecutors, former officials, and businessmen has been exposed once again,“ he went on while announcing he had instructed Justice Minister Martín Soria to ask the Attorney General's Office to launch a criminal investigation into the Lago Escondido event.

Fernández also asked federal lawmakers to move forward with the Judiciary reform and with the appointment of a new Attorney General.

Fernández said he was particularly interested in finding out who had provided for the private flights as well as the housing of the attendees. The head of state also insisted that he was forced to communicate through the national broadcast network after several privately-owned news outlets gave no coverage to the scandalous allegations. ”It seems proven that the trip did take place,“ Fernández argued.

The head of state also underlined that Argentina needed honest judges and businessmen, and that the latter needed to earn their profits from fair-play entrepreneurship.

Audios of these meetings featuring Macrist businessmen and magistrates were leaked to the press. The meeting reportedly took place in October. In those conversations, the attendees were trying to come up with a joint excuse for the trip.

Tiempo Argentino Sunday disclosed the chats and audios between Clarín Legal Affairs Director Pablo Casey, CEO Jorge Rendo, and Judges Pablo Yadarola, Julián Ercolini, Pablo Cayssials, and Carlos ”Coco” Mahiques; in addition to Buenos Aires City Security Minister Marcelo D'Alessandro; former Intelligence Secretariat (SIDE) Legal Affairs boss Tomás Reinke; and former SIDE chief Leonardo Bergroth. SIDE has been rebranded as Federal Intelligence Agency (AFI).

The meeting was undeniably linked to Macri and Buenos Aires Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta of the PRO party, due to which President Fernández also called Buenos Aires city authorities to impeach those involved in the somber dealings

Leaders of the ruling Frente de Todos coalition's Bariloche offices filed a case for “violation of the duties of a public official, admission of gifts and influence peddling” after the large delegation convened at the Rio Negro resort's international airport.

Casey reportedly texted the attendees: “Guys, beyond everything you pay, I want to tell you that I am in charge of everything because it is my responsibility,” to which Yadarola replied that “we are a group and you were more than generous in your invitation.”

Rendo, who had guaranteed Clarin's silence, has also admitted he was worried about pictures of the attendees together at the Bariloche airport.

“Difficult to explain that we all together went somewhere else without leaving loose ends,” acknowledged Ercolini, while Cayssials suggested they could all argue that they had stayed at a house owned by a friend of his, “who can say that he lent it to us.”

Judge Yadarola pointed the finger directly at Airport Security Police Chief José Glinski for the leaking of the pictures. “He is responsible,” Yadarola reportedly said, while D'Alessndro replied that “if at some point it were my turn to be [Security] Minister of the Nation, the first thing I do is to dissolve the PSA.”

“Give me the pleasure of going to look for him with one of our patrol cars and I'll make him shit,” he wrote to Judge Yadarola.

“Please, contain me because I'm running out of patience,” Judge Mahiques of a Court of Appeals stressed.

“Coco, when we have everything closed, we go on the offensive. It still seems to me that there is fire from all sides and of all kinds. We have to get together for the strategy,” Bergroth said.

“We should let the PSA know that we are going to shoot them with heavy ammunition and that they better not give anything else,” Mahiques added.

”We have to denounce the illegal espionage and the violation of the duties of an official to the head of the PSA (...) The issue is whether we do it or an NGO [does it] or a third party“.

”We will do that later (...) Then we will see the third party,“ Ercolini sentenced.

In view of these reports, President Fernández also said in his recorded message that Argentina ”needs honest officials, honest judges, and businessmen who obtain their profits without corrupting others.“

”Everything seems to indicate that the deterioration of the institutional quality of some judges, prosecutors, former officials, and businessmen has been exposed once again,” he went on while announcing he had instructed Justice Minister Martín Soria to ask the Attorney General's Office to launch a criminal investigation into the Lago Escondido event.

Fernández also asked federal lawmakers to move forward with the Judiciary reform and with the appointment of a new Attorney General.