Buenos Aires, Argentina (AP) — Argentina is so used to corrupting the political system that even Peronists and supporters of the populist movement, which has ruled Argentine politics for decades, employ deadly sayings to explain politicians.
However, for the past two weeks, Argentina has Ballooning Graft Scandal Drawing close libertarian friends President Javier Mileywild hair economist Wins Argentina’s 2023 election Partly through outsider campaigns against corruption; Peronist-controlled elite – “Caste,” he calls it. Argentina’s economic crisis.
At the time of Extreme fiscal austerityhis claim Strong sisters And Karina Mairi, the secretary-general of the presidency, has benefited from the Argentine Disability Agency’s bribery programme, threatening to protect the government’s reputation ahead of the mid-term period at the end of October. Milei denys the claim.
“It appears to be very similar to many other corruption scandals in Argentina, and his image contaminates the image of not being part of a “caste” completely different,” said Eugenia Mitchelstein, chairman of the Department of Social Sciences at the University of San Andre in Buenos Aires.
Leaked audio reveals explosive allegations
The scandal came last month when local streaming channel Carnaval released a secretly recorded audio clip aimed at showing then-National Disability Director Diego Spagnuolo.
Spagnuolo’s alleged voices claim that top officials, including Milei’s sister Karina and her senior aide Eduardo “Lule” Menem, have accepted $500,000 and $800,000 in cash in exchange for a government drug deal. According to this voice, Karina Milei is taking a kickback of 3-4% of the contract price.
“I told him, “Javier, you know they’re stealing, your sister is stealing,” says Spanulo, who is allegedly able to say.
It’s not clear who captured the audio. Based on references to political events in the recording, local media reports that conversations have occurred over several months starting in August 2024.
The leak appeared to have the most impact before the local elections in Buenos Aires on Sunday, the country’s most populous state and historic Peronist opposition hub, Buenos Aires.
Audio has also surfaced Immediately after Milei refused to increase benefits For someone with disabilities, claim that it is very vaunted Financial surplus.
“Corruption scandals in an age of economic scarcity tend to have a greater impact,” said Ana Iparraguirre, Argentine political analyst and partner at Washington-based strategy firm Gbao. “It’s hitting Mairay’s potential to grow beyond his base.”
The government is fighting over the response
Typically, Voluble Milei remained silent about recordings for six days after its release.
Within hours of the leak, he dismissed Spagnuolo, who was also his personal lawyer. A federal judge ordered raids in offices and homes belonging to executives in Spanuolo and Swisso Argentina.
Under pressure, Mairay officials have fought for the truthfulness of the record and denounced political opposition to organizing scandals to undermine the government’s election outlook.
Asked questions at the Campaign Caravan last Wednesday, Mylay rang and told reporters, “I tell them everything (spagnuolo) is a lie.” The rally was left to chaos When the protesters threw stones into his convoy.
Meeri the next day Provided totally corrupt defense He condemns all allegations of his sister as a political theatre.
Karina Mairay’s recording surface in her private office
Just as Milei appears to have regained control of the story, a recording of Karina Milei speaks to officials in the private office of the Casa Rosada Presidential Palace.
The same journalist at Carnaval, who released a recording of Spagnuolo, has released two short, harmless audio clips. One is Karina Milei urges her colleagues to “keep united,” while the other complains about working from 8am to 11pm every day.
Journalist Mauro Federico insisted that there was a 50-minute recording that he was ready to release, prompting serious panic in the presidency.
Milei spokesman Manuel Adorni said the conversation was “illegally recorded” and he denounced the leak as “illegal intelligence reporting activities aimed at destabilizing the country.”
Police raided the Carnaval office and the home of several journalists, including Federico’s, laptops, cell phones and hard drives. A federal judge has banned the media from publishing recordings made within Casarosada in response to criminal charges by the Department of Security.
The Press Freedom Group has appeared in weapons, and Paris-based Watchdog reporters have called the court’s order “one of the most serious threats to the freedom of the press in the country since the return of democracy.”
The leak even swirled temporarily into a diplomatic incident after the government filed a complaint and suggested the possibility of Russian spies involved. Russian expatriates in Argentina “We will take action to influence the population for the geopolitical interests of Russia.”
The Russian Embassy was not satisfied. “The desire to see “Russian spies” in every corner is irrational and destructive,” he said.
“Boss” in the spotlight
Analysts say that a key factor limiting Miley’s ability to counteract the scandal is his sister and friendly involvement from an early age, currently acting as his gatekeeper. The president compares her to Moses and regularly calls her the Spanish masculine form of “El Jeff,” “Boss.”
Karina Milei, a former Instagram cake baker and tarot card reader, has successfully managed her unmarried brother’s presidential campaign before managing the presidential agenda, selecting staff in government roles and running the Liberal Party.
It’s not the first time she’s been in a scandal. Milei’s reputation was a hit Early this year After he promoted Memecoin called Libra It crashed a few hours later, boring investors with a loss of over $250 million.
The creator of Coin boasted over a text message that he had paid Karina Milei to advance the crypto clan. Murray and his sister denied any cheating. Class action lawsuits filed by investors are raw in US courts.
As fallout from the audio scandal spread, Karina Milei became an increasingly target of public outrage – evacuated from Two consecutive Last week’s campaign event in Buenos Aires.
The catchy jingle, first sung on a popular streaming channel for the song “Guantanamera,” has recently begun his belt at a nightclub in Buenos Aires.
“Get a big meal,” the chorus goes. “Karina has earned a big bribe.”
Monica de Bore, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said Saga has revealed that Karina Mairay is the president’s “Achilles Heal.”
“Pragmatism here would require him to remove Karina,” she said. “This is where you see why certain actions like Nepotism aren’t of much use to you at the end of the day.”
