Minister Mario Lugones broke his silence and revealed the connection between the HLB Pharma laboratory and Kirchnerism
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In a case that is already shaping up to be one of the biggest healthcare and judicial scandals of the last decade, the Government of Javier Milei is moving forward with the investigation into the contaminated fentanyl that caused more than 100 deaths in hospitals and clinics across the country. The president did not hesitate to point out political responsibilities:"Let's take as an example the atrocious cover-up by Ariel Furfaro, an eternal Kirchnerist associate, in the fentanyl case", he declared during an event in La Plata, denouncing a web of impunity and complicity inherited from the previous administration.
The Minister of Health, Mario Lugones, broke his silence and spoke for the first time about the case with the media, confirming that the owner of HLB Pharma, Ariel García Furfaro, "was connected to politics" and that under his administration "it was the first time these criminals were stopped." The official, who ordered an internal investigation at the National Institute of Medicines (INAME) under ANMAT, warned:"If any person is implicated, that same day they're out."
Harshly, Lugones questioned Furfaro's rapid accumulation of wealth:"If not, explain to me how he had a greengrocer's shop in the suburbs and ended up owning airplanes. How did he manage to grow so much in such a short time if not through political collusion? Isn't it striking that Alberto Fernández's government approached them to go get the Sputnik vaccine in Russia and couldn't move forward because their paperwork was not in order there?"
Ariel García Furfaro
The judiciary, led by federal judge Ernesto Kreplak, is investigating the responsibility of the laboratories HLB Pharma and Ramallo SA, where the presence of bacteria such as Klebsiella pneumoniae and Ralstonia pickettii was detected in the vials. According to the magistrate, there are no longer any contaminated doses in circulation, but the results of the Malbrán Institute's expert analysis are still awaited to determine the origin of the contamination.
Currently, there are 24 suspects banned from leaving the country and a general asset freeze on the alleged perpetrators and their related companies. Lugones did not rule out the existence of other laboratories operating irregularly:"When I took office, I asked ANMAT to evaluate all laboratories, because not all of them have the same level of quality."
