The president of the Broad Front, Fernando Pereiracalled a press conference on Thursday night to address the situation of the party leader, Gustavo Loyalwho is being investigated for visiting the parents of the former presidential custodian Alexander Astesiano in the Chuy Bar. The FA leader recalled that the prosecutor Gabriela Fossati had accused Astesiano for four crimes of corruption, including criminal association.
Pereira stated that Leal had participated in the meeting with Astesiano’s parents “without the endorsement of the FA”, but that this did not mean that the party prohibited its members from speaking to citizens. The president of the FA maintained that Astesiano’s father had approached Leal, who works with “seriousness and responsibility”, and that the meeting had not been official nor had the party’s presidency been consulted.
At the press conference, Pereira also pointed out that the government was trying to “cover up acts of corruption that happened next to the government,” and that Leal had the right to speak to whoever he wanted, like any other Uruguayan political leader. Finally, the leader expressed his respect for Justice and stated that the party would not do anything to hinder the investigation.
The president of the FA clarified that official meetings with the party should be consulted with the party’s presidency, and that unofficial meetings were personal decisions of the political leaders. Pereira defended the freedom of politicians to speak with citizens and criticized the government’s attempts to restrict this freedom.
Hours before, the Secretary of the Presidency of the government of Luis Lacalle Pou, Álvaro Delgado, tried to throw the responsibility of the Astesiano case at the Broad Front, due to the simple fact of the meeting in which Gustavo Leal was with the parents of the former custodian.
