Imports: Sturzenegger pointed against Alberto Fernández's Customs and insinuated that bribes of 25% of the goods brought in were requested

After Federico Sturzenegger announced on Tuesday the end of the electrical certification of products imported by X, the Minister of Deregulation and State Transformation insinuated that Customs agents in the government of Alberto Fernández were asking for bribes of 25% of the value of the goods entered so that the entry of said articles would prosper.

In his official social media account, the official cited a message from businessman Martín Besellis , from the company Perfilight , which makes profiles for LED strips and packages, in this regard.

“Please read the message that Martín Besellis, from Perfilight, had written to me regarding this resolution,” wrote Sturzenegger, in relation to the communication he made this morning of the norm that repeals the requirement of local certificates for imported electrical products even if they comply with international parameters.

"In 2021, in order to stop imports, a para-tariff was imposed on 'LED strips', whereby they were required to have an electrical safety certificate (which is ridiculous considering that they work with 12v and there is no risk of electric shock). I also carried out said procedure (which took a lot of time and a lot of money), but then they continued to deny me permission to import ," explains the text of the message cited by the minister, who noted that it arrived through the ' Reportá tu Burocracia ' platform and "illustrates very well the damage that officials can do to their citizens."

“But here is the most important thing: since this certificate is needed, imports cannot be made through the simplified courier system, but rather it had to be done through the traditional import system where ' the boys ' asked you for an informal contribution of 25% of the FOB in dollar bills for the shipment to be successful,” the quote noted, alluding to the businessman's words.

He added: “Resolution 1038/2021 must remove items that literally run on batteries. You cannot ask for an electrical safety certificate for LED strips that run on 12v, especially when it is a strategic product of national interest to reduce electricity consumption .”

This Tuesday, the Government repealed the Statistical Import System (SEDI) , which had replaced the Argentine Republic Import System (SIRA) . The measure was confirmed with the publication in the Official Gazette of the Joint General Resolution 5651/2025 of the Customs Collection and Control Agency ( ARCA ) and the Secretariat of Industry and Commerce .

Earlier, Sturzenegger had posted on X: “ The torture of electrical certification is over ! Let's see if the nonsense is understood: if you wanted to import an Apple computer, of which millions of units are sold worldwide, you had to obtain a local certification proving that its electrical system was safe .”

There, he also pointed to the former Secretary of Commerce, Paula Español , for signing a regulation to require such local certificates for equipment with LED lighting. “Because of their low voltage, they do not constitute any risk for humans ! These types of obstacles, procedures and obstacles are the things that President Javier Milei asks us to fight against,” he stressed.