This Saturday afternoon the nationalist group Advance Timesintegrated by Venezuelan, Cuban, Russian legal citizens and natural Uruguayan citizens, celebrated its launch within the List 71 at the Hotel Montevideo, with the presence of the president of the party, Pablo Iturraldethe senator Gloria Rodriguez and the Minister of the Interior Luis Alberto Heber.
In the middle of the event, Heber took the microphone and addressed the foreign public with a statement that caused laughter on the spot, but was criticized on the networks. “I am in the Ministry of the Interior and I am the one who makes the passports”said the minister jokingly, as can be seen in a video shared by journalist Leonardo Sarro on Twitter.
After a few seconds of laughter, Heber continued: “I will gladly give you the passports so that you can have the opportunitynot to leave, to go visit their families and be able to returnof going to have that connection, so that can get their documents, so that they are Uruguayan citizens”.
“I am in the Ministry of the Interior and I am the one who makes the passports!!! Heber assured the immigrants who join the new nationalist group, so that they can visit their relatives in Cuba and Venezuela among other countries.
Launching ceremony of the Association… pic.twitter.com/9CKIjz2mBs— leo sarro press (@leosarro) June 25, 2023
The video generated the response of several users, who vlinked the minister’s statements with the delivery of a Uruguayan passport to drug trafficker Sebastián Marsetwho was released from prison in the United Arab Emirates at the beginning of 2022 on the grounds of handing over that document and who since then is a fugitive.
“Marset likes this”, “we already know who made Marset’s passport”, or “Marset already knew”were some of the comments that the recording received.
Authorities from the Ministry of the Interior and the Foreign Ministry discussed which body was responsible for delivering the passport to Marset. While from the Interior they argued that the process of a common passport abroad it was the responsibility of the Chancelleryfrom that ministry indicated that its function was the consular connection, but that the issuance of passports was a spring of the Interior.
