The Fentanyl Investigation Commission of the Chamber of Deputies has once again summoned Health Minister Mario Lugones for next week “under warning” and decided that on December 9, it will present the report on the investigation carried out by that parliamentary body. Although a written questionnaire was answered, the legislators were not satisfied with the absence of Lugones, Administrator of the National Administration of Medicines (ANMAT) Agustina Bisio, Director of the National Institute of Medicines (INAME) Gastón Morán, and Juan Carlos Fernández (ANMAT). For this reason, Lugones was once again summoned for Thursday the 20th at 11 a.m. at the request of UXP bloc deputy Ramiro Gutiérrez, who stated that the minister is committing the crimes of “disobedience” and “concealment.” During the meeting, there was a heated debate because the libertarian Gerardo Huesen proposed that Governor Axel Kicillof and Minister Nicolás Kreplak, brother of the judge in charge of his case for contaminated fentanyl, should also be summoned. In any case, his new bloc colleague Silvana Guidici stated that “the officials from the Ministry of Health have to come, and we are going to summon them again” and asked to read the responses sent last night by that portfolio, which is led by Lugones. The left-wing deputy, Cristian Castillo, criticized the absence of the officials by stating that “it is evident that when one answers in writing, they are covering themselves from possible derivations. However, he highlighted that they had received the extension responses from ANMAT that they had requested. “Except for the province of Formosa, we have received reports from the Capital, Santa Fe, and Córdoba. They were dragged here by their hair! A drug was adulterated and they respond to mothers and children with 26 pages of nonsense.” “We have received the responses from the Ministry of Health that arrived last night,” explained the head of the commission. The deputy from Democracy Forever, Pablo Juliano, said, “The officials who don't show their faces are fakes, and it's a crime. I want to face them face-to-face, ask the questions, it's my responsibility as a deputy and it is theirs as public officials.” “I again request that the Minister of Health and the personnel of ANMAT be summoned again under warning of disobedience and concealment since we need free interrogations of the officials,” affirmed Gutiérrez. Upon opening the meeting, the president of the commission, the socialist Mónica Fein, pointed out that last night they were informed that the minister and the authorities of ANMAT will not attend the commission but that “they continue to make themselves available.” She detailed that both the Ministry of Health and ANMAT sent their responses last night to be made available. “The role of this commission is to show its face. They are not capable of sending any errand boy to give explanations!”
