Presidential Chief-of-Staff Karina Milei has dropped a lawsuit requesting an injunction to ban the media broadcast of audio recordings featuring her voice allegedly taped in the Casa Rosada.
President Javier Milei’s sister informed Civil & Commercial Law Judge Patricio Maraniello of her decision when responding to an appeal against her decision presented by the Poder Ciudadano NGO, court sources informed.
Karina Milei, 52, was accused of censorship by media watchdogs and reporters after Maraniello granted a request to block publication and ordered the “immediate cessation” of the dissemination of audio recordings, which were broadcast in the midst of corruption allegations.
At the time, the national government described that leak as an “illegal and targeted attack” designed to destabilise the ruling party in the lead-up to key elections in Buenos Aires Province and next month’s midterm elections this month and next.
It subsequently filed a complaint with the courts, seeking to block the further release of any additional recordings, which it argued was aimed at “misinforming" and "destabilising" the electoral process.
On September 1, Maraniello partially approved the injunction requested by the President’s sister, banning media diffusion of the voice messages.
Her initial court ruling ordered the cessation of dissemination “through any written and/or audiovisual media and/or via social networks from any website, platform and/or web channel.”
Saga
The saga began at the turn of the month, when a journalist published two brief clips online that he described as the “tip” of a much larger trove of recordings, totalling some 50 minutes.
In one recording, Karina describes long work hours and in another, she urges unity, among the party.
The clips were “illegally recorded” inside the Casa Rosada presidential palace, Presidential Spokesperson Manuel Adorni later admitted.
The clips came after the same journalist had aired audio recordings of Diego Spagnuolo, a former government official, allegedly describing a kickback scheme involving a government contract for pharmaceutical purchases at ANDIS, Argentina’s national disability agency.
Spagnuolo named Karina and her top aide, Eduardo 'Lule' Menem, in the audios, potentially implicating them in an investigation that is now progressing in the courts.
In a writ presented to the court withdrawing her injunction request, Karina Milei denied that her move had sought "prior censorship" or to avoid revealing sensitive information.
“The injunction was not requested as prior censorship and far less on the grounds that there could exist anything incriminating as various operators have tried to make people believe,” her lawyers explained in the court presentation.
Recalling that she had laid criminal charges in the hands of federal prosecutor Carlos Stornelli, due to the illegal origin of those voice messages, the presidential chief-of-staff claimed that the recordings "are being manipulated and edited with the aim of creating an operation against my person and my family.”
“Freedom of the press cannot be used nor converted into a shield or protection for campaigns to manipulate public opinion and far less for the use of voice messages, wiretapping, videos or photographs obtained illegally,” she argued.
Referring concretely to the audio clips, she explained to the judge that their content did not affect her security "nor the rights of third parties nor national security, at least not with the information currently available.”
Maraniello partially approved the injunction requested by the President’s sister on September 1, banning media diffusion of the voice messages.
Graft claims
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Adorni again denied government involvement in any potential corruption at the ANDIS national disability agency.
“The President has made it known that all government officials are confirmed and ratified [in their posts], not only in public but in private as well,” he underlined, denying top officials were at risk.
Adorni further remarked that the President has “full confidence” in his team although assuring that he respects the "judicial instance.”
“His desire is that the courts end up determining the explanation for those audios [recordings featuring Spagnuolo], whether they are edited and if they are, over and above their content being false, understanding the reason for what was said being said,” he explained.
“The content of the voice messages is false but the courts will have to determine how they arose and whether or not they are edited,” he continued.
“The President will not tolerate any corrupt action of any kind and will therefore take the corresponding measures according to how the investigation advances. If there is somebody committed against corruption, it has always been the President.”
Cabinet Chief Guillermo Francos added his voice to the chorus of denials, describing the corruption allegations as an “operation designed to undermine the government.”
"Are these facts true? Is this man in his right mind, has he speculated in some way, has he sought more influence? The truth is that we don't know. Is there any proof of this? Did the courts find anything in these raids that were carried out so quickly? We have no idea, but we are sure that there was no corruption on the part of the government," Francos said in an interview.
– TIMES/NA/PERFIL
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