Buenos Aires: An Argentine opposition lawmaker has pressed charges against President Mauricio Macri, seeking to have him investigated for financial crimes after his name appeared in the so-called Panama Papers leaks.
Lawmaker Norman Martinez yesterday asked a federal judge to order an investigation into whether the conservative president “knew of, collaborated in, ordered or approved maneuvers to launder money or evade taxes.”
Martinez, an ally of Macri’s predecessor and opponent, Cristina Kirchner, filed the complaint after the lower house voted down a bill that sought to force the president to testify before Congress on his interests in two firms registered in the Bahamas and Panama.
Macri still faces a separate move to launch a congressional commission to probe any irregularities in his finances. Information about Macri’s offshore financial dealings emerged Sunday in the leak of millions of documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, which has put a host of world leaders and celebrities in the hot seat over their secret financial dealings.
Macri, who vowed to fight corruption during his presidential campaign last year, denies wrongdoing and says he has nothing to hide. Martinez also requested an investigation into Nestor Grindetti, a close ally of the president who served as finance secretary for Buenos Aires when Macri was mayor.
Grindetti, who is now mayor of the Buenos Aires suburb of Lanus, was listed in the leaks as managing a Panamanian-registered company and holding a Swiss bank account during his time as finance secretary for the capital.
