The President of the Republic held a press conference at the Executive Tower after the arrest of Alejandro Astesiano, the president’s chief of custody, became known.
“Obviously, if you were surprised by the news, imagine who is speaking,” said Lacalle Pou, explaining that “in the last five days I was outside with my children and with the person who was arrested yesterday. When I arrived at the Carrasco Airport at the air base, I was informed by this very person, the head of my security, that the director of Police Intelligence was in the Presidential residence. At that moment, he continued narrating the president, he went to the residence of Suárez and Reyes, spoke with the director of Intelligence, they summoned Astesiano and at this moment he was arrested.
He assured that he has “enormous personal peace of mind regarding the professionalism and independence of both the Prosecutor’s Office and the Police” in regard to the investigation. In addition, he explained that Astesiano “has no criminal record” and that “everyone is innocent until proven otherwise.”
The investigation that led to the arrest of the head of presidential security is in charge of the Flagrancia prosecutor Gabriela Fosatti. Lacalle said that she will see “in the next few hours what is the primary opinion made by the Prosecutor’s Office” and that from that “the measures will be taken accordingly.”
On the other hand, he indicated that he met the head of security in 1999 in a campaign.
«Then I saw him in 2004, then 2014 and in 2019 he accompanied me throughout the campaign. I do not give the most precious thing that is my family to a person who may have an indication that he acts outside the law, “she assured.
The president was consulted about the decision to hire Astesiano in the position he holds and replied: “I am always ultimately responsible, who intervenes or fails to intervene (in the election process) does not matter.”
“The responsibility is always mine,” he insisted. Lacalle Pou indicated that he personally is “bad” because of what happened. “At this moment there is a citizen brought before the Justice, what am I going to do? Prejudge? “He maintained and added:” Without prejudice to this, my state of mind is not the best.
