Antonio Stiuso led a “parallel SIDE,” Intelligence Secretary Oscar Parrilli has affirmed ratifying the government’s allegations accusing the ex spy chief of smuggling and tax fraud.
“Due to the elements we found till today it was like a parallel SIDE existed. There are other areas of the SIDE that carried out imports correctly. It is a sector that depended exclusively of him,” Parrilli told reporters this morning.
In statements to a radio show today, the secretary currently heading the Intelligence Secretariat (SI) – formerly the Secretariat of Intelligence of the State (SIDE) -, said the new leadership was finding “lots of surprises in the organism.”
“We are finding lots of surprises in the organism. We said it and I reiterate it, democracy was in debt with intelligence tasks in Argentina.”
“What makes the difference between (President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner) and previous governments is that she had the decision, the political courage to carry it out (the revision of the intelligence services). Many political leaders say don’t mess with this, watch out,” Parrilli added as the Lower House readies to address today a bill setting the creating of the Federal Agency of Intelligence (AFI), which was submitted to Congress by Cristina Kirchner following the death of AMIA special prosecutor Alberto Nisman back in January.
On Tuesday, Parrilli and his second-in-command Juan Martin Mena held a press conference accusing ex spymaster Stiuso of setting up an illicit network to smuggle products and evade taxes, unearthing the import of 94 tons of goods that were introduced in the country using the SI’s secrecy benefits.
Last year, in December, Stiuso was ousted from the office now conducted by Oscar Parrilli.
buenosairesherald.com