Argentine Ex-president Macri Charged In Spying Case: Court

Buenos Aires, Dec 1 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Dec, 2021 ) :Argentina's ex-president Mauricio Macri was charged Wednesday on allegations he ordered surveillance, as head of state, of the families of 44 sailors who died when a navy submarine sank in 2017, a court ruling said.

Judge Martin Bava issued an indictment for "the offense of carrying out prohibited intelligence actions," according to the 174-page ruling.

In a preliminary court appearance earlier this month, the former president submitted a written statement in which he insisted: "I did not spy on anyone, I never ordered (anyone) in my government to spy on anyone." The ARA San Juan sub disappeared in November 2017.

When it was found just over a year later, it was at a depth of more than 900 meters (2,950 feet) in a desolate area of the South Atlantic, some 400 kilometers off the coast of Argentina.

It had been crushed from an implosion apparently caused by a technical fault. Authorities decided against attempting to refloat it.

Family members of the 44 crew members told investigators they were followed, wiretapped, filmed and intimidated into abandoning any claims related to the incident.

Macri is accused of ordering the espionage. He risks between three and 10 years in jail for allegedly violating Argentina's intelligence laws.

He was granted bail by the judge.