Prosecutors investigating whether laboratories paid bribes to secure drug contracts with the ANDIS national disability agency have received around 50 audio recordings which they believe feature the body’s sacked director Diego Spagnuolo.
Meanwhile, Spagnuolo – who has yet to comment on the bribery scandal rocking President Javier Milei’s government – has appointed two lawyers, Ignacio Rada Schultze and Juan Aráoz, to represent him in the case.
Domestic media reports say that the ex-official is considering whether to become a whistleblower and expose the alleged corrupt network.
The half-century of audio recordings, delivered on a pen drive, were provided by journalist Mauro Federico, who testified as a witness before federal prosecutor Franco Picardi this week.
According to reporting by the Noticias Argentinas news agency quoting judicial sources, Federico told investigators he received the voice recordings on August 16 and studied them before releasing the first clips a few days later
Picardi will now begin analysing the audios, which were allegedly recorded between August and October 2024. in them, Spagnuolo is supposedly heard referring to alleged crimes, including kickbacks paid between the Suizo Argentina drug distributor, laboratories and national government officials.
According to reports, prosecutors received a complaint regarding alleged irregularities in the procurement of medicine by ANDIS, though the case was shelved for lack of evidence.
Investigators are currently sifting through material seized during raids on offices and homes, including procurement files and payment orders. They believe inflated prices were charged in order to conceal the payment of bribes.
Information is currently being extracted from mobile phones belonging to Spagnuolo and brothers Jonathan Kovalivker and Emmanuel Kovalivker, shareholders of Suizo Argentino, that were seized in this week's raids.
While the investigation progresses, new audio snippets are still leaking out via local media outlets, ensuring the scandal continues to dominate the headlines.
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