Argentina ex‑deputy José Luis Espert appears in court, refuses oral testimony in money‑laundering case

Former deputy and libertarian candidate José Luis Espert appeared before Federal Judge Lino Mirabelli at the San Isidro court on 8 July 2026. He declined to answer the judge’s questions and instead submitted a written statement accompanied by documentary evidence.

Espert’s defense presented eleven emails exchanged between May and September 2019, which they say prove a genuine consulting contract with the Guatemalan mining firm Minas del Pueblo. The investigation, led by prosecutor Fernando Domínguez, focuses on a US‑dollar transfer of $200,000 received on 22 January 2020 in a Morgan Stanley account. The funds originated from Wright Brothers Aircraft Title Inc., a company linked to Argentine businessman Fred Machado, who was convicted in the United States for money‑laundering and fraud.

The prosecution alleges the money was laundered through the purchase of high‑end vehicles and a real‑estate trust on the Buenos Aires coast. Espert argues the payment was for legitimate services and asks the judge to resume direct control of the investigation, which is currently delegated to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office. His assets, as well as those of family members and related companies, remain subject to a court‑ordered freeze.