Argentina's Tollgate: Macri-era economy, transport ministers indicted
Argentine Federal Judge Rodolfo Canicoba Corral indicted former Transport Minister Guillermo Dietrich and former Economy Minister Nicolás Dujovne for abuse of power and malfeasance.
The charges relate to presumed irregularities in the awarding of highway toll concessions and payouts during the 2015-19 Mauricio Macri administration, in which the two officials served.
The "Tollgate" case last week yielded its first indictments: those of former National Highways Director Javier Iguacel and former Treasury Prosecutor Bernardo Saravia Frías - a longtime Macri family lawyer.
The case is probing the 10-year extension of the concessions to the toll companies in 2018 without calling new tenders.
Also under investigation is a 2017 payout of $499 million to Ausol and a further $245 million to Concesionaria Oeste as compensation for presumed investments made since 1994. These companies are accused of claiming these debts despite not complying with their obligations.
Macri, who owned 7% of Ausol, sold his shares for a reported 3,125% profit following these moves.
At: https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&tab=wT&sl=auto&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politicargentina.com%2Fnotas%2F202007%2F33743-procesado-dujovne-tal-como-iguacel-y-dietrich-el-ex-ministro-de-hacienda-quedo-complicado-en-la-causa-peajes.html
Former Argentine Economy Minister Nicolás Dujovne and former Transport Minister Guillermo Dietrich, who today became the highest-ranking officials in the right-wing Mauricio Macri administration (2015-19) to have been indicted.
Both face charges over the allegedly fraudulent payouts of nearly $750 million to two toll road operators - one of which yielded Macri a 3,125% stock windfall in 2017 following these moves.
Dujovne is also facing investigations into $45 billion in loans taken from the IMF ahead of the 2019 elections - loans which Trump's top Latin America point man, Mauricio Claver-Carone, today admitted to have largely been granted to facilitate Macri's failed re-election bid.
