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.
