Former Argentine President Mauricio Macri indicted on warrantless surveillance charges

Former Argentine President Mauricio Macri was indicted today in federal court for ordering warrantless surveillance on relatives of 44 sailors who died in the 2017 sinking of a navy submarine.

Federal Judge Martín Bava found that Macri, 62, is "prima facie criminally responsible for the crime of carrying out prohibited intelligence actions as an author, by virtue of having made possible the production of illegal intelligence tasks."

Judge Bava stopped short of ordering pre-trial detention - a tactic Macri endorsed against his critics during his 2015-19 presidency - but barred him from leaving the country, or his residence for more than 10 days without notification.

At least six pen drives have been introduced as evidence, showing extensive spying on relatives of the 44 sailors lost in the 2017 ARA San Juan tragedy.

The relatives are plaintiffs in both this case, and a separate case of alleged malfeasance surrounding the 2017 tragedy as well as suspicious delays in the announced locating of the submarine (a full year later).

Macri, who was denied re-election in 2019 amid the worst recession in two decades, has been the focus of numerous scandals involving warrantless wiretapping of both public figures and relatives - including a 2009 indictment later vacated by an allied judge shortly after his 2015 election.

At: https://www-eldestapeweb-com.translate.goog/politica/espionaje-ilegal/procesaron-a-macri-por-espionaje-ilegal-a-familiares-de-victimas-del-ara-san-juan-202112115480?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US

Former Argentine President Mauricio Macri appearing in federal court in Dolores, Argentina, on November 3rd to testify on charges he ordered warrantless surveillance on relatives of the 44 sailors lost in the 2017 ARA San Juan submarine tragedy.

Despite repeatedly delaying giving testimony, as well as seeking to have the case transferred to Buenos Aires (where his allies dominate most courthouses), Macri was indicted on the evidence - including at least six pen drives showing extensive surveillance of plaintiffs in 2018-19.

Macri faces numerous other charges - including self-dealing in a $750 million payout to toll road operators (in which he was a shareholder), the attempted write-off of 98% of his family's Postal Service debt, and the illicit shipment of anti-riot munitions and gear to Bolivia during that country's 2019 coup.