In the midst of the scandal over leaked audio recordings attributed to Diego Spagnuolo that denounce bribes at the National Disability Agency (ANDIS) - and that mention Karina Milei and Eduardo"Lule" Menem -, Chief of Staff Guillermo Francos assured that President Javier Milei told him that Spagnuolo “never made a comment” about that.

The official will speak next Wednesday at 12 noon in the Chamber of Deputies to provide a new management report and this will be one of the main topics of the questions.

"I called Spagnuolo. Spagnuolo, what's going on with the pension cuts not coming out? This was my conversation, which is the last one, it must have been two months ago. But he never raised a complaint or a suspicion against me," Francos said this Friday in an interview with El Observador radio.

He later noted that Milei told him that he hadn't received any comments from Spagnuolo either."I mentioned the matter to him, I said, 'President, this Spagnuolo thing...'... 'Spagnuolo never made a comment to me about this.' Well, this is what the President told me. So, what Spagnuolo says has no meaning for me... I have no relationship with him, I don't know him. I know that the President knows him, I don't know if they have a relationship," he added.

In an initial interview with Francos by journalists during the Council of the Americas event, the official stated that he wouldn't"put his hands in the fire for any official," although he clarified: "Of course I believe in the innocence of Karina Milei and Eduardo 'Lule' Menem, but these are matters that the courts must investigate."

This Friday, Francos returned to the subject and in an interview with El Observador stated that he thinks it's a good thing that the Justice system is moving quickly in the investigation to"uncover the truth," although he raised electoral suspicions: " What really catches my attention is that it appears at this point, at this moment, when everyone mentions or refers to it as a recording from last year. What is that? What does it mean? But that's something that a judge has to decide."

He also reported that he was the one who informed the president that Spagnuolo should be removed from office and that an intervention and investigation should be ordered.

In turn, he criticized the former head of ANDIS for not reporting it to the courts."If Mr. Spagnuolo knew about all of this, he had to report it to the courts. It is a public official's obligation to report to the courts a fact of which he becomes aware," he stated.

He also confirmed that he never raised any complaint or suspicion against him and recounted his last conversation with Spagnuolo:"At one point it was mentioned that 100,000 pensions were going to be canceled and then another 100,000 more, because they were pensions that were given irregularly. I called Spagnuolo. Spagnuolo, what's going on that the pension cancellations aren't coming out? This was my conversation, which is the last one, I mean, it must have been two months ago. But he never raised any complaint or suspicion against me."

In the leaked audio recordings attributed to Spagnuolo, he mentions that the issue was raised with President Milei himself.

"No, I have absolutely no proof, on the contrary, I think it was the day before yesterday when we were leaving a meeting with people from Rio Tinto, from the mining company, and we were talking about the investment they were going to make in Argentina on Tuesday. I mentioned the matter to him, I said, 'President, this thing about Spagnuolo...'... 'Spagnuolo never made a comment to me about this.' Well, this is what the President told me. So, what Spagnuolo says, for me, has no meaning... I have no relationship with him, I don't know him. I know that the President knows him, I don't know if they have a relationship."

The Parliamentary Secretary of the Lower House has already summoned the deputies for the session, which will be held next Wednesday at 12:00.

His last management report to that chamber was in April, when the $LIBRA cryptocurrency case was exploding, and now he will be asked to do so as the case—already in the hands of the courts—develops into alleged bribes at ANDIS, for which its head, Diego Spagnuolo, has already been removed.

According to Clarín, the date was already scheduled a month ago, and Francos is not going to cancel it. Although he received more than 1,200 written questions from deputies, the main questions in the chamber will be about this case and the contaminated fentanyl case.

Complaints and requests for interpellation in the Chamber of Deputies

The Encuentro Federal bloc has already submitted a bill to summon Chief of Staff Guillermo Francos and Health Minister Mario Lugones to give explanations in the plenary session. As Clarín reported, Santa Fe Socialist deputy Esteban Paulón, along with his colleague Mónica Fein and Margarita Stolbizer (of the GEN), also submitted a request, but to question Spagnuolo and Karina Milei.

On Tuesday, the Health and Disability Committees will meet at 12 p.m. to begin discussing these projects.

Left-wing Buenos Aires legislator Gabriel Solano filed a criminal complaint against Javier Milei, his sister Karina, Spagnuolo, and"Lule" Menem. He is requesting that they be investigated for"fraud against the public administration, influence peddling, and bribery."