Major corruption scandals are virtually unknown in Uruguay. The closest it came recently was when it was revealed that Tabaré Vázquez’s then vice president, Raúl Sendic, had purchased shorts, a cell phone charger and some clothing items with a company credit card while on a business trip abroad.
The episode had such a negative impact on the country that Sendic, until then a pledge in the ranks of the centerleft Broad Front coalition, was forced to resign and ultimately fell into political obscurity.
A much more serious scandal erupted last week when the traditional publication Búsqueda published audio recordings showing thenChancellor Francisco Bustillo in conversation with his adviser Carolina Ache. Both tried to find a way to cover up an illegality: that the Foreign Ministry had pressured the Interior Ministry to “express” produce a passport for a Uruguayan “in difficulty” in Dubai.
But this Uruguayan was in trouble because he is a convicted drug trafficker and a fugitive from justice. Sebastián Marset, known as “the player” because he played as a midfielder for a Bolivian team, acting as an intermediary between the Brazilian PCC and drug trafficking networks, used a fake Paraguayan passport to escape when Interpol was looking for him. He traveled to Dubai and when he decided to return using the false document, he was refused entry and is now imprisoned in the Emirates.
The case has many unanswered questions and could concern President Luis Lacalle Pou, who returns in the next few days from a trip abroad and will have to face this crisis. Bustillo and Ache have already resigned. However, the puzzle to be solved is complex: why did a drug trafficker on the run from the Uruguayan justice system and Interpol receive the attention and privileged support of two ministries?
Some of the answers may be found in Carolina Ache’s audios. Realizing the extent of the problem, she began recording conversations with Bustillo, who suggested, “What if we said our cell phones were stolen?” and “If we find a way to do it.” [fazer com que] the folder containing this file disappears”, and also suggests that other ministers are “pulling the strings” to cover up the case.
Lacalle Pou had already managed to overcome another problem of corruption in his government, which was much closer to him. His former presidential security chief, Alejandro Astesiano, was accused of distributing fake passports. Astesiano was a man who placed great trust in the president and even took his children to school.
The Uruguayan head of state managed to solve this problem. But now, when he arrives from the United States, where he attended a summit, Lacalle Pou will be embroiled in a real scandal affecting some of his most important ministries.
The opposition is waiting for your comments in order to take a more decisive position. But behind the scenes there is already talk of a “political trial” and even a motion for impeachment in Congress.
There has rarely been a scandal of this magnitude in Uruguayan politics. Uruguayans are watching this soap opera with concern but also with entertainment, and the country’s media only talks about this issue. You can’t complain about an emotionless vacation in Rio da Prata.