Argentinian envoy to Israel quits after graft conviction

By AP 8 April 2022, 9:33 pm

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Argentina’s ambassador to Israel has resigned following a corruption conviction at home and President Alberto Fernández has accepted the resignation.

Sergio Uribarri was sentenced to eight years in prison for acts committed while he was governor of Entre Ríos province from 2007 to 2015, though he can remain free pending a series of possible appeals.

Uribarri, who apparently is still in Israel, says on Twitter that the verdict “is a clear example of arbitrariness, injustice and abuse of the state of law.”

The court found that Uribarri had used the equivalent of $8 million in provincial funds to position himself as a possible presidential candidate, partly by promoting a regional summit held in 2014.