Alberto Fernández's broker friend, a famous car driver and the flow of thousands of official dollars abroad

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The tens of millions in commissions from insurance brokerage in the State provided the necessary financial liquidity to insurance producer Héctor Martínez Sosa, Alberto Fernández 's friend and husband of his secretary of 30 years, to indulge himself in several pleasures. One of them was to become one of the sponsors of an IndyCar car, the main car category in the United States and one of the most televised on the planet. The logo of its insurance company was stamped on the sides of the black and green car of Agustín Canapino, the Argentinean racer who competed in 14 races last season. In fact, in the most important event of the category, the Indianapolis 500, the sportsman participated with a car with the colors of the Argentine flag and the Martínez Sosa logo. He was one of the most visible members of the car in the mythical race, where sponsorships are worth thousands of dollars.

Canapino left Argentina last year to devote himself to motorsport in the United States. He signed an agreement with the team of another compatriot and former driver, Ricardo Juncos, who together with a partner founded Juncos Hollinger Racing.

According to sources familiar with the agreement between the two parties, the contract was too small for Canapino and, for this reason, he was also granted two advertising spots on his clothing and vehicle, so that he could use them to finance his life in the United States. Canapino gave one of those places to Martínez Sosa and the other to Grupo Prieto. That is to say that, according to what LA NACION was able to know, the Juncos Hollinger team was not the one that received the money from these sponsorships.

The relationship between the pilot and the insurance producer is not recent. In a press conference held in 2021, Martínez Sosa said he has known Canapino since he was 19 years old (he is now 34) and has accompanied him with his company for 13 years. "Photo with Héctor Martínez Sosa, to whom I will be grateful all my life, trusting me since 2009 and the person who helped me in everything since I lost my old man", Canapino published in his social networks two years ago.

Martínez Sosa was a sponsor, more than 10 years ago, of a Top Race category team, called Sport Team, who hired Agustín Canapino when he was very young. Sources familiar with the relationship explain that the good relationship they built generated that he practically became their manager.

When, in 2019, Canapino came third in Termas de Río Hondo, a particular anecdote occurred. Due to a problem during the race, after the awards ceremony, it was decided that a number of points went to another racer, Mariano Altuna, so the cup he had received had to be given away. The problem arose when Martínez Sosa, who had the trophy in his hand, refused to give it back.

According to market insiders, publicity in motor racing is suspected of over-invoicing to reduce tax payments or to launder money abroad. Canapino has a company incorporated in Argentina whose main purpose is the commercialization of advertising time and space. In January last year, when he moved to the United States, he had a peak in credit movements that reached $2.5 million, but in August 2023 they declined substantially, below $500,000. In October and November there was practically no activity.

That Creole incursion in the most important racing car category in the United States was financed entirely with Argentine dollars, which were paid at the official exchange rate. The sponsors that lubricated the team, which, it must be said, had sports results above expectations, were all close to Kirchner's power.

While Argentina was negotiating dollar for dollar with the International Monetary Fund, another of the contributions to the pilot's team became known. "Visit Argentina", a brand developed by the then Secretariat of Tourism, always appeared stamped on the driver's overalls as well as on the black and green car. LA NACION was able to confirm that it not only invested in Canapino's advertising, but also to other Juncos Hollinger drivers, such as Callum Illot, of English origin.

The payment was made public through administrative decision 356, dated May 2 last year and signed by the Chief of Cabinet, Agustín Rossi, and the Minister of Economy, Sergio Massa.

"It is necessary to modify the budget of the National Institute for Tourism Promotion (Improtur), an entity of the National Public Sector acting within the scope of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, increasing the current expenses in compensation with the financial applications for the attention of promotional actions corresponding to the Indy Car Championship 2023, which takes place in the United States of America, and the Technical Financial Cooperation Agreement for the execution of the MOTO GP Grand Prix of the Argentine Republic [which took place in Santiago del Estero]," reads one of the recitals of the regulation published in the Official Gazette.

"The amount of the promotional actions is US$ 93,750 dollars per race. Four races have been held so far. The IndyCar television coverage reaches 142 countries, through 32 international television networks in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Europe, South America, Central America, the Caribbean and the United States", the Ministry informed at the time.

The presence of the Visit Argentinabrand "contributes to the objective of reactivating and boosting the growth of the North American market, one of the main outbound markets for tourists to Argentina", they justified at that time in the offices of the Minister of Tourism, Matías Lammens.

When the administrative decision authorizing the payment was issued, the Juncos Hollinger team , whose owner is the Argentinean Ricardo Juncos, had not yet received any of the payments. Subsequently, several payments were received, but to date, they have not been paid and there is still a debt owed by the State to the owners of the Indy Car.

Those were times of exchange restrictions and enormous restrictions for all commerce and industry to have access to dollars. But the offices of Lammens, now owner of one of the main gourmet delicatessens in Buenos Aires, had access to the official dollar for sponsorships in the United States.

Nobody knows if Martínez Sosa used this system to buy dollars at the official price, well below the parallel price or those obtained in the market to take money abroad, such as the CCL . There are many who speculate that under the concept of "advertising abroad", he used this privileged channel to obtain the currency at a bargain price.