The Argentine State Ministry decided to accuse former President Alberto Fernández of misusing public funds to purchase insurance for government employees when he was president.
The accusation was made on Thursday the 29th by Federal Prosecutor Ramiro González. He points out that Fernández and Alberto Paglianoformer head of the Nación Seguros group, is said to have committed abuse of office and embezzlement.
In addition, the State Ministry is investigating whether the operator Hector Martinez Sosa would also be involved in the case. According to investigations, the former president assigned Héctor Martínez to manage resources in the insurance sector.
What is the basis for the complaint?
The case dates back to December 2021. At the time, Argentina was trying to recover from the impact of the Covid19 pandemic and the severe drought that had hit the country while containing persistent inflation.
Through a decree issued this month, Fernández decided that all companies in the state should use insurance services exclusively from Nación Seguros.
The group manages property and life insurance and is affiliated with the stateowned Banco de La Nación Argentina.
This emerges from a complaint filed this week by the Argentine lawyer Silvina Martinez, who took part in the presidential campaign of Patricia Bullrich, current security minister in the Milei government, the decree served to help friends of the former president. They acted as intermediaries in the insurance business and demanded millions in commissions, she says.
One of them would be precisely Héctor Martínez Sosa, the husband of Fernández's secretary María Cantero. For example, Martínez's name appears in affidavits as a creditor of the former president.
The case was brought to light by a report published last weekend by the daily newspaper Clarín.
Another important name in this case is that of Osvaldo Giordano. He was head of the National Social Security Agency (Anses) and was appointed and dismissed by President Javier Milei. According to the publication, it was Giordano who discovered the alleged scheme before leaving the agency.
For example, the publication points out that in the Anses case, Nación Seguros hired an intermediary who charged commissions of around 17%. The percentage is about three times higher than the usual market rate.
Nevertheless, according to the article, the contracted company made a profit of around 300 million pesos (around 1.5 million reais at current prices).
In light of the investigation, the MP is now calling for a number of steps to be taken. For example, the investigative body wants to investigate the background that led to the issuance of the 2021 decree, as well as the insurance contracts of various state ministries. Federal judge Julián Ercolini is responsible for the case.
What Alberto Fernández says
The former Argentine president commented on the case this week, giving his version in interviews with the newspaper La Nación and the radio station La Red.
Fernández, who has been in Spain since leaving the Argentine presidency in early December, explained that it was “a political operation” and that “if an official does something he shouldn't have done, he will be held accountable.” should.”
The former president said: “If they investigate, they will understand the lie of the Clarín newspaper.” He denied having done business as president.