Libertarian banker denies ties to ex-official caught on video during World Cup match

Libertarian banker Juan Nápoli has spoken out after appearing in a video alongside Martín Insaurralde, a former official facing investigation for illicit enrichment and money laundering. The footage, recorded during Argentina's World Cup quarter-final match against Switzerland, showed Insaurralde and about twenty other people, including Nápoli, in a Puerto Madero apartment.

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I was at the birthday of a friend's wife, who is also my friend, a party at a family home. Someone viralized images of that moment, which was watching the match. There were grandparents, there were minors. It was a family party.

Nápoli, who is the president of Banco de Valores (VALO) and a figure close to President Javier Milei, explained that he was attending a birthday party for a friend's wife. He denied having any personal relationship with Insaurralde, stating that the gathering was a family event with grandparents and children present. The banker suggested that Insaurralde's presence, given his current legal troubles, was the reason the video gained traction.

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It wasn't my house. I received the invitation to go; I went to my friends' place. There were about 60, 70 people, and that was all.

"I was at the birthday of a friend's wife, who is also my friend, a party at a family home. Someone viralized images of that moment, which was watching the match. There were grandparents, there were minors. It was a family party," Nápoli told streaming channel Ahora Play. He insisted he did not know Insaurralde personally and only happened to be near the screen where the match was being shown. "It wasn't my house. I received the invitation to go; I went to my friends' place. There were about 60, 70 people, and that was all," he added.

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I have no commercial or friendship relationship. I imagine his friends also don't have to be careful if they haven't had any of these issues that are being discussed judicially. Being friends with someone doesn't mean you're being investigated or that you have a prior conviction. I have no link or relationship with him.

Nápoli firmly rejected any suggestion of political or commercial ties with the former Buenos Aires official. "I have no commercial or friendship relationship. I imagine his friends also don't have to be careful if they haven't had any of these issues that are being discussed judicially. Being friends with someone doesn't mean you're being investigated or that you have a prior conviction. I have no link or relationship with him," he stressed. When asked if he spoke with Insaurralde, Nápoli confirmed they exchanged brief words about the match, nothing more. He stated that in such cases, one must wait for justice to act, adding, "I'm not going to defend him or anyone, I defend myself. He is being investigated, nothing prevents him from watching a match, those will be personal matters he will have to answer for."

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I'm not going to defend him or anyone, I defend myself. He is being investigated, nothing prevents him from watching a match, those will be personal matters he will have to answer for.