Argentina prosecutor seeks questioning for 30 in VIP vaccine scandal

Federal prosecutor Eduardo Taiano has requested that more than 30 individuals be summoned for questioning regarding the “VIP vaccine clinic” scandal. The investigation concerns the irregular administration of COVID-19 vaccines, specifically Sputnik V doses, during the administration of Alberto Fernández.

The list of requested individuals includes former President Eduardo Duhalde, his wife Hilda “Chiche” Duhalde, journalist Horacio Verbitsky, and various legislators, business leaders, and relatives of government officials. Taiano argued that these beneficiaries were not merely passive recipients but may be considered “necessary participants” in the crime of embezzlement (peculado), which carries prison sentences of two to ten years.

The investigation follows a Federal Chamber decision to deepen the inquiry into both the officials who allowed irregular access and the individuals who accepted the doses. Key incidents identified include the transfer of doses from Hospital Posadas to the Ministry of Health for political and business figures, and the administration of vaccines at the Duhalde residence. Federal Judge María Eugenia Capuchetti will now decide whether to summon the individuals listed.