Uruguayan Tourism Minister Germán Cardoso resigns amid controversy

(CNN Spanish) – Uruguay’s Tourism Minister Germán Cardoso resigned amid reports of alleged irregularities related to direct advertising assignments and other public purchases without a tender.

Cardoso, who will return to Parliament since he is also a deputy for the Colorado Party, indicated in a press conference that he will ask legislators to create an investigative commission to clarify his actions.

“We are going to ask for an investigative commission to even clarify that everything has been done within the procedure that the duty marks and determines, and we are going to open an investigative commission to investigate how the procedures and purchases were during my mandate and also during the previous one. , so it is clear how the procedures were, “said Cardoso.

He added: “I am going to appear before the party to clarify the situation. It is clear that I have been the victim of a furious political attack.”

Cardoso’s resignation comes after the former national director of Tourism, Martín Pérez Banchero, who is also a member of the Colorado Party, part of the Government coalition, denounced in the media that he had been removed from his position after he refused. to sign direct advertising purchases, as reported by El País de Uruguay.

Cardoso told the newspaper that he had removed Pérez Banchero from office due to “differences in work methodology.”

This Friday, the former minister said at the conference that during his tenure he acted based on the law and that he was leaving with “his head held high.” When asked about Pérez Banchero’s accusations, he added that “what is said in the grocery store must be repeated at the police station” and did not rule out taking legal measures against him.

Until this Friday, no Uruguayan entity was investigating Cardoso for Pérez Banchero’s accusations.

CNN is seeking Pérez Banchero’s comments following Cardoso’s words.

Darío Klein contributed to this report.