Argentine official fired over cash-filled suitcase

Claudio Uberti- the head of a regulatory body for Argentine toll roads- was forced to resign in the midst of a controversy surrounding a Venezuelan businessman who carried $800,000 in undeclared cash. Antonini Wilson had taken a government-chartered flight and was detained early Saturday by customs authorities.

Last month, Felisa Miceli quit from her post as Argentine Economy Minister after officials found $64,000 stashed in the bathroom of her office.

According to Reuters, the Miceli and Wilson cases have been a boon for opposition candidates running for Argentina’s presidency:

“‘This is from God, I'm super happy. The truth has come out, and it is proof of corruption in this government,’ leftist presidential candidate Elisa Carrio told La Nacion newspaper.

‘This reminds me of the (corruption scandals of the) '90s,’ Esteban Bullrich, a lawmaker with the center-right PRO party, said of the new cash scandal.”

Meanwhile, Venezuela’s ambassador to Argentina denied that Wilson is a Venezuelan government official and said that the Wilson affair is part of an anti-Hugo Chavez “smear campaign.”

Sources- International Herald Tribune, Reuters, Guardian UK, El Universal, The Latin Americanist

Image- The Spoof!