Argentine Vice President Gabriela Michetti's right-wing think tank SUMA raided over irregularities.
Argentine Federal Judge Ariel Lijo ordered a raid on the Buenos Aires offices of the SUMA Foundation, a right-wing think tank chaired by the Vice President, Gabriela Michetti.
Judge Lijo's warrant is pursuant to an affidavit showing that the SUMA Foundation received around 4.1 million pesos in undeposited donations during President Mauricio Macri's 2015 campaign ($450,000 at the time). The raid was ordered in an attempt to recover the think tank's accounting books, which were never presented to Argentina's General Inspectorate of Justice (IGJ) as is required for all non-profits.
The case itself originated in the alleged theft of approximately $75,000 in cash from Michetti's Buenos Aires home on election night, November 22, 2015. Police at the time arrested an officer in Michetti's security detail that evening, who was convicted and served six months in prison.
Michetti, who claims that $50,000 of this total were a gift from her boyfriend, businessman Juan Martín Tonelli, and that $20,000 were to be donated to SUMA, did not reveal the incident to the public until July 18 - almost eight months after the fact. Michetti's claim that $20,000 were to be donated to SUMA is likewise incompatible with Argentine law, which forbids cash donations above token amounts to any non-profit organization.
The Vice President was charged by Federal Prosecutor Guillermo Marijuán in August 12 with "the possible commission of a public offense, subject to the qualification that may ultimately apply."
In the tank
The Macri administration is facing numerous probes over its campaign finances from the 2015 election, which Macri narrowly won. His right-wing party, the PRO, declared expenses of 27 million pesos ($2.9 million at that time) and 22 million pesos in private contributions; but they also declared 92 million pesos ($10 million) in unspecified party development expenses. Campaign expenses are, by Argentine electoral law, not to be counted as "party development."
His campaign is also under investigation for almost three million pesos ($320,000) in cash donations from government contractors, which is illegal in Argentina.
Congressmen Juan Cabandié and Rodolfo Tailhade of the opposition, center-left FpV have been leading congressional inquiries into these campaign finance irregularities, as well as into the activities of numerous pro-Macri think tanks such as 'Fundar', 'Creer y Crecer', 'Formar', and Michetti's SUMA.
"Most members of the Macri administration also happen to either control or sit on the board of any number of right-wing think tanks or foundations that carry out political activities in parallel with Macri's political party, the PRO," they pointed out. "These non-profits are in effect used to finance PRO operations."
Books and suitcases
Vice President Michetti has meanwhile hired the noted jurist Ricardo Gil Lavedra as her defense attorney. Her spokesman stated that SUMA's books were not in the foundation's office because, despite the fact that SUMA officially had no employees, the accountant kept them. They pledged to submit them to Judge Lijo in person on Thursday.
The outspoken, 51 year-old Michetti faced a similar controversy on January 29, when she attempted to hide a suitcase full of jewelry on her return from a summit in Ecuador. She claimed the items were "gifts," and despite being barred from accepting valuable gifts while in office, no charges were filed.
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When I read the last sentence, then I remembered!
Good grief! All those fascists are playing fast and loose with big bunches of money from heaven, as it seems. It just seems to come from somewhere, and it's everywhere, and no one's responsible for any of it. Magical money.
Macri's associates are sounding more and more like Trump.
Best wishes to Judge Ariel Lijo. Sure hope Gabriela Michetti wasn't tipped off in time to take the necessary evasive actions!
Thank you, forest444.
And Michetti's story certainly doesn't.
She herself put it best: "one can't hope to catch every crook; there are so many places to hide stuff."
Thank you as always, Judi, for your shrewd insights.
Michetti and her "undeclared gift" - by Argentine cartoonist Serko (http://serkocaricaturas.blogspot.com/).