Ex-Chancellor Bustillo Claims Sanction Aimed to Hide Minister's Rome Trips

Former Uruguayan Chancellor Francisco Bustillo has broken his silence following a recent sanction, alleging that the government is using the disciplinary action to distract from Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin's frequent trips to Rome. Bustillo, a career diplomat, was suspended with half pay pending a declaration, a decision stemming from a September investigation.

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Once again, I want to clarify that I did not participate in the famous meeting at the Presidency; I was out of the country, I was not the minister because I was traveling in New Zealand. Ache was acting and was at the meeting. The investigation is not new news; they released it now to cover up Lubetkin's trips to Rome.

Bustillo claims he is a victim of "persecution" by the current administration. He specifically targeted current Vice President Jorge Díaz, former Vice Foreign Minister Carolina Ache, and Minister Lubetkin. "It's not a coincidence that Lubetkin's current press chief is Javier Benech, who previously worked with Díaz at the General Prosecutor's Office," Bustillo stated, suggesting a coordinated effort.

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It's not a coincidence that Lubetkin's current press chief is Javier Benech, who previously worked with Díaz in the General Prosecutor's Office.

The former chancellor's suspension is linked to an administrative investigation initiated after a document, containing messages between Ache and Guillermo Maciel concerning drug trafficker Sebastián Marset, was allegedly destroyed. Bustillo questioned why Ache, who was reportedly present during discussions about the document, was not subjected to a similar investigation.

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This is brutal. At the time, it was decided to conduct an administrative investigation, and it was decided that a lawyer from the Presidency, who coincidentally works under Díaz, would do it. The reality is that from day one, they wanted to cover for Ache. Why wasn't she investigated?

Bustillo asserted that he was not present at a key meeting related to the document's destruction, as he was traveling in New Zealand at the time. He suggested that the timing of his sanction, revealed on June 12 but originating from a September inquiry, was deliberately chosen to overshadow reports about Lubetkin's seven trips to Rome in just over a year, during which he reportedly received per diems for 48 days.

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You cannot investigate a minister of state.