Entrepreneur Eduardo “Teddy” Taratuty, president of London Supply and the main responsible for the Duty Free Shop in Puerto Iguazú, is facing a legal front that forces him to request authorization every time he wants to leave Argentina, even for brief trips to neighboring countries, within the framework of the trial for the alleged irregular awarding of the concession for Puerto Pañuelo, in Bariloche.
According to what Argentine News Agency learned, the process is being handled in the Oral Criminal Federal Court No. 2 and remains in force, albeit delayed. Taratuty has a confirmed conviction from the Federal Chamber of Criminal Cassation and is among the accused for “incompatible public office businesses,” along with former executives of the National Parks Administration, in a case that has been going on for years and is still waiting for a date to resume in the debate stage.
According to the file, the Court recently authorized a new extension of travel requested by the businessman's defense. Taratuty was authorized to remain in the United States until December 17, but he asked to return only on the 24th, and the permit was granted by judges Jorge Gorini, Rodrigo Giménez Uriburu, and Néstor Costabel.
This is not the first time he has requested special permits: he has already obtained authorizations to travel to Peru, Ecuador, the United States, and also to vacation in Punta del Este, while the process remains open.
London Supply, the company that controls the Duty Free Shop in Iguazú, has also been involved in other relevant cases, including the Ciccone Calcográfica case, in which one of its shareholders contributed funds to lift the printer's bankruptcy, for which former Vice President Amado Boudou was convicted.
In Misiones, the company faces a legal action filed by the local business Comercial San Nicolás SRL, which sent letters to the Free Zone Monitoring Committee and the Ministry of Economy to stop the concession extension.
The lawsuit was filed in Federal Administrative Court No. 6, and prosecutor Miguel Ángel Gilligan endorsed that the case be handled in federal courts in CABA, as it involves acts dictated by national authorities.
The Monitoring Committee — made up of representatives of the Government of Misiones, the municipality, the CEM, and the CGT — has already approved extending the contract for another ten years, plus five more for the pandemic, and only the signature of the Ministry of Economy is left for London Supply to keep the premises until 2045.
The complaining business claims that the retail free zone creates unfair competition, harms local entrepreneurs, and relies on questionable norms, such as a 2002 decree signed by Roberto Lavagna that exempts Argentine consumers from VAT within the Duty.
In addition, they were granted the possibility to enter and leave Argentina for Uruguay as many times as necessary between December 24 and March 15, 2025, by air, land, or river.
Despite being on provisional release, he must complete each migratory procedure with the express authorization of the Court and appear within 48 hours of his return to prove it.
The argument holds that the decrees that enable the Duty Free's differential tax regime are unconstitutional, since the Executive Branch cannot grant tax exemptions without the intervention of Congress.
