With a resounding vote, the Chamber of Deputies of the Nation approved the request to search the office of the national deputy José Luis Espert, within the framework of the investigation that links him to the businessman Federico «Fred» Machado, currently wanted by the US justice system.
The measure was approved with 215 affirmative votes and only 3 abstentionswhich reflects a broad consensus in the legislative body to advance with the investigation. The request is part of the judicial case that investigates the alleged financial ties between Espert and Machado, who is accused in the United States of drug trafficking and money laundering.
The context of the research
The focus of the investigation is on the links between Espert and Fred Machado, an Argentine businessman wanted by the United States justice system on charges of drug trafficking and money laundering. Machado was arrested in the country in 2021 and, recently, the Supreme Court of Justice authorized his extradition to Texas.
The legal case that complicates Espert was unleashed after it was revealed that he had received a transfer of US$200,000 dollars coming from a company linked to Machado and, furthermore, due to the use of private planes of the businessman during his presidential campaign in 2019.
Although Espert initially denied the link, he later admitted the transfer, although he maintained that it was part of his private activity and that he was unaware of Machado’s illicit activities at the time.
Search and license request
The approval of the search becomes a significant fact, since it allows the federal judge in charge of the case to implement evidentiary measures, records and access documentation within the Lower House.
Hours before the vote, and in the midst of the scandal, the deputy himself Espert had requested a license from his bank for «particular reasons» until the end of his term. However, this movement did not neutralize the decision of the Chamber to endorse the judicial request, allowing the investigation to advance.
