The Argentine police tighten grip when it’s about corruption, the Friday’s arrest of Vice-President Amado Boudou demonstrates the serious intentions to fight any hint on bribery in the country.
The second high-level official in the administration of former President Cristina Fernandez has arrested on suspicion of corruption on November 3. The ex-economy minister Amado Boudou was also a vice-president in the former administration. Now, the 55-year-old man faces three charges of “illicit enrichment” dating back to 2009, and his attorney Eduardo Duranona calls to the arbitrary.
The issue of an illicit enrichment is extremely actual for Argentina, the police have initiated the criminal case in regards another high-level official last month, a former planning minister. Julio de Vido was arrested on October 25 and like Amado Boudou has denied any wrong-doing.
In 2009, Mr Boudou was promoted from heading Argentina’s social security administration to become Mrs Fernandez’s economy minister. The corruption allegation is dating back to that year.
Argentina steadily fights corruption
Not only ministers Boudou and Vido were accused of corruption, Mrs Fernandez herself is also facing similar charges but has immunity from prosecution since being elected as a senator in the October polls.
Meanwhile, Argentinian TV channels showed Boudou, grim-faced and wearing a plain black T-shirt, as he stood beside two security officers. In other photographs broadcast on television, he was in handcuffs, standing in what appeared to be his home.
Boudou’s lawyer denounced the arrest on Friday, calling it “arbitrary.”
“We never had any problems, and overnight, just in the week that there is a complaint to the Magistrates Council, the arrest was ordered,”
Boudou’s attorney Duranona said on TV.
The 55-year-old ex-minister faces three counts of “illicit enrichment” dating back to 2009, the year he was promoted from heading Argentina’s social security administration to become Fernandez’s economy minister.
