The new head of the Anti-Corruption Office, Alejandro Melik, revealed that
he is investigating possible cases of conflicts of interest within the government of Javier Mile
i, such as that of the Deputy Attorney General of the Treasury and
denied that there is an impunity pact with Cristina Kirchner
.
On the other hand, he said that his organization
will sue in cases of corruption
if Congress maintains those powers for his organization, as provided for in the majority opinion to approve the omnibus law.
Melik told
Clarín
that he received requests from Justice Minister Mariano Cúneo Libarona himself to issue an opinion on whether there are
incompatibilities with the function or some decisions he may make due to his previous role as a private lawyer.
This is
a sensitive issue
because Milei's government has more businessmen and managers than the government of former president Mauricio Macri.
The following is a summary of the interview with
Clarín
:
-How did the Anti-Corruption Office find, especially after Félix Crous withdrew the office as a complainant in the corruption cases against Kirchnerism and lowered its profile compared to Laura Alonso's management in the Macri government?
- I found an office, run by Verónica Gómez – Crous's replacement – functioning with trained staff, although there are still some offices to cover.
On the one hand, in terms of the amount of work, I am doing a survey of all the complaints that are in process.
There is an Investigation and Complaints area that is very important.
The work dynamic is permanent.
We are analyzing everything received.
There are also new facts that appear.
On the other hand, there is a very important area that has to do with integrity, transparency and conflict of interest.
As it is a new government, there are many consultations from both officials and interested third parties.
This is a very delicate aspect because the conflict of interest affects the transparency and integrity of officials in the decisions they have to make.
- Has anyone reported, for example, the president of YPF, Carlos Marín, who comes from working at Techint, which supplies pipes to the oil company? The Public Ethics Law says that three years should pass before a businessman enters public service in the same area...
- There were no consultations about the president of YPF so it is not a case that we are studying.
The law says that if there is to be a decision by the official on a matter that has to do with any previous interest that he has represented or in this case worked for, he must spend a period of three years.
We have no questions and the official did not ask us either.
However, we send recommendations to officials regarding these aspects of conflict of interest.
The OA is the enforcement authority of this law and we want to be transparent.
- Did any official from Javier Milei's government make any queries about any situation of incompatibility between their private jobs and now their functions in the State?
- Yes, the head of the AFIP, Florencia Misrahi, the Minister of Justice Mariano Cúneo Libarona, the Attorney General of the Treasury Rodolfo Barra, among others.
- The deputies of the Civic Coalition Juan Manuel López and Paula Oliveto requested that the deputy attorney general of the National Treasury, Andrés de la Cruz, refrain from intervening in actions related to the trial against YPF of the Burford Capital fund because he would have been a lawyer for the Eskenazi family. What did he solve?
- We are actually analyzing the case of the Treasury Deputy Attorney General.
The Civic Coalition asked if the appointment of Andrés de La Cruz as deputy attorney general was compatible with his previous work in the private sector.
He did not ask if he can be deputy attorney, but rather if he can intervene in the YPF trial.
We are in the midst of analyzing this issue that deserves a deep analysis.
- What objectives do you have after a government that lowered the profile of the OA or in other words, what are your three main objectives for these four years when there are about 100 open corruption cases in the Comodoro Py courts?
- My intention is not to raise or lower the profile of the OA, but to fully and efficiently comply with the purposes imposed by law.
In the cases that are pending in court, I asked for a survey.
With a central purpose of knowing what treatment they are undergoing and what procedural stage they are in to know if we are right or wrong.
On the other hand, I want there to be a balance and carry out investigations to combat corruption without distinction of ideologies.
I do not want the OA to be classified as an instrument that benefits some and harms others.
- Is there a version circulating about an alleged impunity pact between the government of Javier Milei and former president Cristina Kirchner?
- There will be no pact of impunity for anyone.
I repeat without distinction of ideologies.
We investigate complaints from individuals, anonymous individuals, state agencies, etc.
Every complaint will be investigated.
Before taking office, I spoke with Minister Cúneo Libarona and he gave me complete freedom of discretion to investigate all the complaints.
- The Minister of Justice had proposed in an interview to remove the OA's power to sue because, in his opinion, governments cannot sue and a controversy arose with the opposition. But the majority opinion of the Omnibus Law includes that function. How was the decision on that faculty finally made?
- Currently, the OA has the power to file a complaint and as long as the law does not say otherwise we will continue with this power in force.
This is by law and is the current situation.
If the decision of Congress is that we will follow that order, if not we will abide by what is finally resolved.
If the power is maintained, we will sue those who we consider have harmed the interests of the State.
- Do you share the idea of the Minister of Justice that there was a “war” using the Anti-Corruption Office in the courts between Macrism and Kirchnerism?
-I arrived at the Anti-Corruption Office on December 15 and it is not my function and I do not want to be an interpreter of the minister's opinions.
- Article 36 of the National Constitution says that committing serious crimes against the State will attack democracy. Do you share the opinion that corruption can threaten democracy and in others that corruption kills as in the Tragedy of Once?
- Corruption undermines the foundations of democracy.
There are events that have been very serious and I do share the idea that corruption kills, like the case you presented.
It is an unfortunate fact and means that the damage against the State has already occurred.
That is why we also have an address in the OA that talks about prevention.
Corruption is an evil that threatens democracy and fighting it makes us a better country.
- You talked about calling on civil society represented by foundations such as Poder Ciudadano or Cippec, will you call on them to join active policies against corruption
?
- Yes, I plan to call them as soon as possible because, furthermore, citizen control contributes to the transparency and integrity of the officials.
The more control there is over an official, the better for democracy.
-Citizen Power is part of Transparency International, which publishes a map of global corruption every year. The previous government underestimated it. Are you going to give it importance and use it as a thermometer in the fight against corruption?
- It is not my intention to underestimate any report, nor any institution that investigates corruption.
Argentina cannot fall off the map, especially that one.