La Libertad Avanza deputy José Luis Espert sought to put a lid on a developing scandal on Thursday night, admitting he met a businessman facing drug-trafficking allegations in the US courts but arguing he himself was no criminal.
Cornered by allegations linking him to detained businessman Federico Andrés ‘Fred’ Machado, Espert released a video statement late Thursday night in which he sought to give “frank and fully sincere explanations” for his actions.
In the six-minute broadcast, Espert admitted he received a US$200,000 payment in 2020, but said it did not come from Machado personally. He claimed it was an advance from a Guatemalan mining company for private economic consultancy work that he was contracted for after his unsuccessful run in 2019 for Argentina’s Presidency.
Espert, the ruling party’s top candidate for a seat representing Buenos Aires Province in the upcoming October 26
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