BUENOS AIRES.- Justice argentina carried out 27 raids, mainly in soup kitchens, in response to complaints of extortion supposedly made by those responsible for these organizations. These actions occur in a context of growing social conflict and demands for more social assistance, as well as pressure to resume the distribution of food in these spaces by non-governmental organizations.
The investigation seeks to clarify at least 12 cases of extortion in Argentina, where social aid was offered in exchange for participation in anti-government demonstrations, based on anonymous complaints and evidence obtained from wiretapping.
According to statements from the Ministry of Security, the funds obtained illicitly through these extortions would have been channeled through cooperatives, without the final destination of said money being known.
For their part, various social organizations stated that these complaints seek to discredit and persecute their leaders, most of whom are critical of the current government of Argentina.
The raids, which did not result in arrests, were carried out during the early hours of Monday and Tuesday in different parts of the Argentine capital and its surroundings. Both private homes and political party headquarters were inspected, including the central office of the leftist Partido Obrero.
Audit of the dining rooms
Since taking office on December 10, the government of Javier Miley suspended the delivery of food in thousands of soup kitchens, while it carries out an audit on the destination of the resources allocated for these purposes.
The Ministry of Human Capital, in charge of social assistance, reported that half of the soup kitchens could not be audited because they are not registered or do not function as such.
“Anti-poverty plans generate more poverty,” declared the presidential spokesman, Manuel Adorniquoting Milei.
Argentina is immersed in a deep economic crisis, characterized by the collapse of industrial activity, thousands of layoffs in both the public and private sectors, a decrease in consumption and annual inflation that is close to 300%. Half of its population, made up of 47 million people, lives in poverty.
Protests and demonstrations are a constant by unions, university students, small and medium-sized business owners, retirees and other sectors that say they are affected by the adjustment policies implemented by the Milei government.
Source: With information from AFP
