Carlos Bettini

Carlos Antonio Bautista Bettini Francese is an Argentine businessman, politician, and diplomat who was the Argentine ambassador to Spain and Andorra. In his youth he was a close friend of Nestor Kirchner and Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, both of whom appointed him to the ambassadorship during their terms as president of Argentina. His appointment to this position was a matter of considerable controversy owing to his background as a lobbyist for Spanish businesses in Argentina.

Bettini, who was a member of the Montoneros, a militant left-wing group of the 1960s and 70s, has been accused of having committed a famous murder in 1976. Later his activities on behalf of Spanish interests caused him to face charges of corruption and bribery.

Early life and education Bettini was born on October 13, 1951, in La Plata,

Bettini was a friend of Cristina Fernández when they were in their teens in La Plata. Some sources say that they were romantically involved. He knew Cristina five years before they both met Néstor Kirchner. His connections to both Kirchners became pivotal in shaping his political and diplomatic career.

In his early years, Bettini belonged to the Montoneros, a militant left-wing group of the 1960s and 70s and, according to some sources, was the principal perpetrator of the "ETA-style" murder of retired naval captain Jorge Bigliardi on a street in La Plata on June 12, 1976. It was said that Bettini was able to approach Bigliardi without arousing suspicion because they were friends. Bettini, who went by the alias Soldado Emilio, is said to have committed the crime in collaboration with his brother and another member of the Montoneros. Some sources indicate that his brother-in-law Jorge Devoto, another naval captain who lived in the same building as Bigliardi, was another proposed target for assassination by Bettini and his confederates.

Bettini went into exile in Spain after the kidnapping of his family members. He received a law degree in 1986 from Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain.

From 1983 to 1993, he served as an advisor on foreign relations to the Spanish government Ombudsman, a position that during those years was held in turn by Joaquín Ruiz-Giménez Cortés, Álvaro Gil-Robles, and Margarita Retuerto Buades. Spanish politician and union leader Ariel Basteiro called this "the period of greatest depletion" for the airline, explaining that under Bettini's control its interests shifted from Argentina to Spain, specifically toward the Spanish state airline, Iberia. According to Basteiro, Bettini promoted a business strategy for the airline that involved borrowing a hundred million dollars, selling real estate, equipment, and aircraft, and cutting back on services. The result was a significant loss of market share to Iberia.

During the presidency of Carlos Menem, he was a consultant in the Ministry of Justice under Jorge Maiorano, Rodolfo Barra, and Elias Jassán. He was the head of the cabinet of Attorney General Nicolás Becerra from 1998 until Becerra's retirement in February 2004.

From 1993 to 1996 he was also a member of the organizing committee for IDEA (Instituto para el Desarrollo Empresarial de la Argentina) and a member of Patronato de la Fundación Euroamérica. He was Argentina's representative to the annual meeting of the UN Commission for the Prevention of Crime in Vienna (1994,1995) and to an international conference of Ombudsmen in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1994.

Ambassador to Spain Bettini became Argentina's Ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain and the Principality of Andorra on August 6, 2004. He served in this capacity under both President Néstor Kirchner and President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. Patricia Bullrich openly criticized his appointment, saying that it was inappropriate to appoint a lobbyist for Spain to the ambassadorship. Bullrich cited Bettini's alleged actions on behalf of Dycasa, and noted that he had been reported at the time to the Anti-Corruption Bureau. Bettini denied having ever worked as a lobbyist, and announced that he would file a complaint against Bullrich in response to her accusations. Opposition leader Elisa Carrio warned that if he was appointed ambassador, she would "file a criminal complaint for illegal appointment."

One source noted that although Bettini, upon being appointed ambassador to Spain, denied ever having been a lobbyist or representative for Spanish companies, stating that such activities would be inappropriate for a public official or diplomat, he had explicitly identified himself in 2000 as a lobbyist for Spanish business and political interests.

In a 2013 public address by Maria Bettini, the forced "disappearances" of the Bettini family members were used to contrast the terror and human-rights abuses of the military dictatorship with what Carlos Bettini himself, at that event, described as the benign human-rights policies of the Kirchners.

Honors and awards In 2004 the Kingdom of Spain awarded Bettini the Grand Cross of the Order of Isabel the Catholic, with the degree of Commendation. This award was viewed as a reflection of the closeness of Bettini's relationship with the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party.