Hector Timerman, Argentina's ambassador to the United States, takes over the top job from Jorge Taiana, who resigned Friday after refusing to block congressional testimony by a former diplomat that Argentine businesses were forced to pay bribes to sell their products in Venezuela.

The former diplomat, Eduardo Sadous, swore under oath to the judge in April that when he was ambassador in Caracas, business executives complained the Argentine Planning Ministry forced them to pay bribes in the form of a 15 percent commission to a Miami-based import-export company.

The money allegedly flowed to both Venezuelan and Argentine officials — an accusation both governments deny.

Sadous, Argentina's ambassador to Venezuela from 2002 to 2005, also told the judge that he shared the businessmen's complaints with his superiors at the time in classified cables — with no apparent response.

The allegations have inspired new efforts by the judiciary and opposition lawmakers to show that top government officials — including President Cristina Fernandez and her husband and predecessor as Argentina's leader, Nestor Kirchner — have illegally enriched themselves.

Since then, Sadous has been attacked by the Fernandez administration and praised by its opponents, who have tried to get him to testify to a congressional committee investigating illegal enrichment by government officials.

Theoretically, Congress could have charged Taiana with trying to cover up the bribery scandal if he didn't allow Sadous to testify.

Taiana finally approved the testimony — a move the president considered disloyal, according to Argentine news media reports — and then stepped down.

In his first news conference as foreign minister Tuesday, Timerman said Sadous was free to speak to Congress as long as he doesn't violate his diplomatic oath to not reveal state secrets.

He denied the bribery allegations and accused opponents of trying to create a political circus.