Mariotto criticizes Scioli over dollar savings

The tension which arose over the weekend regarding Buenos Aires province Governor Daniel Scioli’s savings was exacerbated yesterday by Lieutenant-Governor Gabriel Mariotto, who stated that President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner had “converted all of her savings from dollars to pesos.”

Criticism of the governor in a letter sent by the President forced Scioli to release a statement yesterday declaring that he had over US$ 200,000 dollars in a provincial bank account.

Yesterday, Mariotto, who is known to be a Kirchnerite ally and has had several confrontations with Scioli in the past, said that although “everyone is free to deal as they see fit, the President resolved the issue nicely by converting all her savings from dollars into pesos” in 2012.

The lieutenant-governor was speaking in a radio interview, during which he also stated that he would be pushing forward a Public Ethics Bill which would make it obligatory for province officials to produce sworn financial statements.

In her letter to actor Ricardo Darín on Sunday, the President had criticized Scioli for having savings in dollars and for not revealing how much. “The governor has a certain sum saved in dollars and he mentions it in his sworn financial statement, which he has not made public,” said Mariotto, adding that “all we are asking is that these financial statements be made public.”

However, the lieutenant-governor insisted that “I do not have dollars, although I did many years ago, perhaps in the 1990s... As a national official, I have to produce a financial statement each year, but as a provincial official I do not,” said Mariotto, as “there is not yet a law which obliges officials from all branches of government to present them.”

CFK treated Darín ‘WITH RESPECT’

Mariotto also referred to the letter written by the President to Darín after the latter had questioned the growth in Fernández de Kirchner’s wealth in an article published by Brando magazine.

In her letter, which was published via Facebook, the President responded to the actor “with great respect” despite Darín’s accusations, which were “out of order,” according to Mariotto.

Describing the letter, he said that “there was a need to respond to (Darín’s) accusation, which was illogical and out of order.” However, according to Mariotto, Fernández de Kirchner “responded to him as she does, with depth, much friendliness and great respect” for the actor.

— Herald with DyN