"He should have filed a complaint with the courts": Guillermo Francos broke the government's silence and spoke about the audio recordings that revealed alleged bribes.

The National Government broke its silence regarding the scandal surrounding the leaked audio recordings of Diego Spagnuolo, the former head of the National Agency for Disability (ANDIS). In an interview, Chief of StaffGuillermo Francos attempted to deny the material and asserted that he was the one who recommended that President Javier Milei remove Spagnuolo from his position. "I informed the President that we should remove him and initiate an intervention and investigation ," Francos stated.

In an interview with journalist Luis Majul for El Observador, Francos addressed the scandal involving the former head of ANDIS, the Undersecretary of Institutional Management, Eduardo "Lule" Menem , and which reportedly involved Karina Milei, the Secretary General of the Presidency and sister of the head of state. "I told (the president) that he had to be removed from office because the incident had been reported. If an official is saying that another is asking for bribes or kickbacks, the person saying that should immediately file a complaint with the courts ," Francos commented.

At the same time, Francos questioned the veracity of the case and linked it to electoral fraud. " It strikes me as odd that it's coming out at this point, given that everyone mentions or refers to a recording from last year ." He also stated that Spagnuolo never contacted the president to inform him or comment on the alleged scheme. "I think it was the day before yesterday, as we were leaving a meeting, that I mentioned this Spagnuolo incident to the president, and he said, 'He never told me about this,' " Francos explained.

The Prime Minister also denied having any relationship with the former head of the Disability Agency and at the same time recounted the last meeting he allegedly had with him. "I called Spagnuolo to ask him why the pension payments weren't coming in. That was our last conversation, which was probably two months ago. But he never raised any complaints or suspicions with me," Francos said.

Following the complaint, the Justice Department launched an investigation that took a major step forward on Friday the 22nd, when more than 15 raids were carried out on the homes of those involved, including Spagnuolo's home in the Altos de Campo Grande neighborhood of Pilar. Authorities found the former ANDIS chief in a vehicle, where they seized a cell phone, along with other electronic devices and documentation for their investigation.

?? @GAFrancosOk on the Spagnuolo audio recordings: “It strikes me as odd that they surfaced at this time, given that they're from last year.”

With @majulluis | #Majul1079

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