New legal complaints filed, asking to investigate public officials

Prosecutors are investigating at least three legal complaints over loans in the state-owned bank Banco Nación given to public officials and libertarian lawmakers, allegedly under preferential conditions. Last week, local media reported that at least ten members of the Javier Milei administration or of his political party La Libertad Avanza had received mortgage loans for up to AR$510 million (US$360,000). Digital Communication director Juan Pablo Carreira, Investment and Foreign Trade Bank (BICE) director Felipe Núñez, and Finance Secretary Federico Furiase are among those who received the loans. Economy Minister Luis Caputo denied any wrongdoing. “There has been nothing illegal about this, and much less anything immoral,” Caputo said in an interview with LN+. ”I find it pathetic that [journalists] are talking about this like they committed a crime.” Another public officer who took out a mortgage of close to US$300,000 was Leandro Massaccesi, who was allegedly removed from his role as chief of staff of the Human Capital ministry following the release of the loans data.  However, Caputo said the dismissal had “nothing to do” with the loans. Inconsistent financial loans One of the complaints was filed on Monday by Mónica Frade, a lawmaker from the centrist Coalición Cívica party. That complaint was received by Judge María Eugenia Capuchetti and Prosecutor Paloma Ochoa. Media reported that since Judge Ariel Lijo —whom Javier Milei had nominated for the Supreme Court— had received a complaint on the matter before, he will be the instructing judge for the three cases, with the participation of Prosecutor Gerardo Pollicita. “It is clear that, from the perspective of public officials, the beneficiaries obtained financial loans that were inconsistent with their financial profile or actual income,” the complaint filed by Frade, which points towards the beneficiaries and Daniel Tillard, a former president of the Banco Nación. The complaint said that the case should be investigated over several possible criminal offenses, including negotiations incompatible with being a public official, influence peddling, resolutions or orders contrary to national or provincial constitutions or laws, among others. Frade requested the intervening prosecutor to subpoena Banco Nación to obtain the complete credit files of the people who got the credits, obtain the Board of Directors’ minutes through which the loans were approved, and instruct the National Judicial System’s Corps of Accounting Experts to determine whether or not there was any financial loss to the bank.