Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri took the contentious decision this week to sidestep congress and issue a decree enacting a bill held up in congress for over two-and-a-half years. Macri argued that the ‘Ley de Extinción de Dominio’ asset forfeiture law would recover for the state money and property stolen by “corrupt mafias and drug-traffickers”. It would also allow confiscation of assets obtained illegally by public officials, and its retroactive application of 20 years neatly covers any corruption committed under the three Kirchnerista governments (2003-2015). This goes some way to explain why the bill ultimately failed to prosper in congress, and the hostile reaction to the decree of Kirchnerista deputies who accused Macri of acting unconstitutionally and with thinly veiled electoral motives as former president Cristina Fernández (2007-2015) prepares a likely presidential bid. End of preview - This article contains approximately 1329 words.
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