Hernán Lacunza, Alfonso Prat Gay and Guido Sandleristhree leading economists from Together for Change, and also former Mauricio Macri officials, were denounced for “treason” after the government accused them of trying to boycott Alberto Fernández’s administration against the IMF.
The criminal complaint was presented by the lawyer Alejandro Kalbermatten, as a result of information that was revealed by Ámbito and that in fact was included in the judicial presentation.
The Government warns that the opposition has a plan underway to boycott the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund. This Sunday the Argentine director before the organization, Sergio Chodosaffirmed that “three economists from the previous government” asked IMF officials not to provide assistance to Argentina until a new administration takes over. High official sources revealed to Ámbito that the names indicated are those of the former Minister of Economy, Hernan Lacunzahis predecessor Alfonso Prat Gay and the former head of the Central Bank, Guido Sandleris. In the Executive they consider that the strategy “seeks to push the country to default.”
In a week marked by exchange tensions, the departure of the Chief of Advisers to the presidency, unfounded rumors about a devaluation and even changes in the Ministry of Economy, the Government alerts for an opposition maneuver that would seek to leave Argentina without the support of the International Monetary Fund. Not a minor fact, that body is owed almost US$ 50,000 million.
On Sunday morning, without mentioning them by name and surname, the Argentine director before the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Sergio Chodos, described “three economists from the previous government” as “unpatriotic”. In an enigmatic key, the representative before the multilateral organization said that “one has his wife as director doing trading, another is suspected of laundering, and the last one declared default with a flirtatious name.”
Scope was able to consult a senior government source who assured that those targeted are the former Minister of Economy, Hernán Lacunza, his predecessor Alfonso Prat Gay and the former head of the Central Bank, Guido Sandleris. for this official the maneuvers aim to “generate the conditions for a default”although he maintained that “he would like to think that they will not have much impact on the course of the negotiations.”
The weight leader, who chose to remain anonymous, said that the former officials’ request was Focused on the agency “not modifying the payment and disbursement schedule”. Even in the Government they affirm that the requisition seeks that the IMF does not specify the disbursements that are already scheduled.
Hernan Lacunza referred to the issue. “It is always useful conspiracy theory to explain their own shortcomings. Thus, the exchange risk depends on market rumors; IMF disbursements of what the opposition allegedly says,” he wrote on his Twitter account. In that line, she completed: “Do not delay the exchange rate and the rumor will be implausible, comply with the program and guaranteed disbursement.” Close to him, in dialogue with this outlet, they described the Government’s statement as “an invention to hide their own faults.
Before a consultation of the Scope, in the environment of Guido Sandleris flatly denied that he has been involved in a maneuver of this type: “We categorically deny it, it is all an invention,” said those close to the former president of the Central Bank. They did the same near Prat Gay.
Always according to the Government, these meetings took place in the last week, just as Sergio Massa seeks to review the current program so that the Fund takes note of the negative effects of the drought. That discussion is still going through the technical channel. Within this framework, the schedule of payments and disbursements could be modified so that Argentina does not have to pay net this year more than US$3,000 million to the organization led by Kristalina Georgieva. The most optimistic say that fresh funds could even arrive in the coming months.
The curious thing is that, as an important official of the Fund pointed out to Ámbito, the precedent of an agreement in which the disbursement schedule has been modified without resorting to a new program, dates from 2018 and is precisely the Stand By signed by Mauricio Macri and that had as executing arms some of those now targeted by the Casa Rosada.
Source: Ambito
