Overview

• UxP leader Germán Martínez demanded Espert’s immediate removal as chair of the Chamber’s Budget and Finance Committee, citing alleged ties to detainee Federico “Fred” Machado.
• Texas accounting experts working with U.S. judicial records documented a $200,000 transfer on February 1, 2020 from a Machado-linked trust and listed Espert’s name in the trust’s clandestine ledger.
• Peronist lawmakers plan to force consideration of Espert’s removal at the committee’s next meeting, invoking chamber rules as the 2026 budget review gets underway.
• Espert acknowledged meeting Machado in 2019 and accepting logistical help, including travel by his plane, but denied any knowledge of alleged crimes and labeled the claims a smear campaign.
• Machado remains detained in Río Negro pending possible U.S. extradition on cocaine conspiracy and money-laundering charges, while activist Juan Grabois alleges the businessman financed Espert’s 2019 and 2021 campaigns ahead of the October 26 elections.