Amado Boudou, who had been former Argentine President Cristina Fernandez’s Economy Minister and Vice President, was arrested on corruption charges on Friday, becoming the second major official in her government to face detention.
Police arrested Boudou and an alleged associate, Jose Maria Nunez Carmona, in an upscale neighborhood of Buenos Aires for racketeering and money laundering.
Boudou was arrested by coast guards in his apartment located in an affluent neighborhood of Buenos Aires and was brought before federal Judge Ariel Lijo to be questioned.
Local television channels showed a gloomy Boudou in handcuffs, wearing a bullet-proof vest and a black T-shirt as he was being taken away by the guards. The judge also ordered the arrest of Boudou’s business partner, Jose Maria Nunez Carmona.
The warrant said Boudou made intricate financial transactions, some of them involving bank accounts abroad, to shield money and its beneficiaries. It also said that Boudou laundered money by buying an apartment for his then-girlfriend, journalist Agustina Kampfer.
The embattled former official is already on trial on charges of bribery and conducting business incompatible with public office.
