Argentine Supreme Court Chief Justice resigns, replaced with pro-Macri junior member

The Chief Justice of Argentina's Supreme Court, Ricardo Lorenzetti, announced his resignation yesterday, effective October 1.

Lorenzetti's surprise announcement follows months of friction with President Mauricio Macri, who faces numerous tax evasion, money laundering, and conflict of interest charges.

Most recently, Macri was charged by Federal Prosecutor Jorge di Lello for abuse of power in signing a $50 billion bailout with the IMF that imposes deep budget cuts without congressional review, as the constitution requires.

Macri is also seeking a government write-down for his family's $300 million debt with the Argentine Postal Service - another case that may soon appear before the high court.

Lorenzetti, who had been Chief Justice since 2007, gave no specific reasons for his surprise announcement, stating only that "the time had come for me to step aside."

Congresswoman Elisa Carrió, a right-wing firebrand and top Macri ally known for her use of intrigue and, her opponents charge, extorsion, celebrated the news, stating that "I don't know if Macri worked to have him removed; but I did."

Lorenzetti, 62, was known as a centrist in the court and had sparred with both Macri and his center-left predecessor, former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

Most junior and conservative

His replacement, Carlos Rosenkrantz, 59, is one of the court's two most junior members as well as its most conservative.

Rosenkrantz authored the infamous "2-for-1" decision, a May 2017 ruling which allows those convicted for human rights abuses during the last dictatorship to deduct pre-sentencing detention time from their current prison terms - a benefit common criminals had already been stripped of in 2001.

Lorenzetti had voted against the 3-2 ruling, and wrote the dissenting opinion.

Rosenkrantz's appointment to the high court became Macri's first serious political scandal when he attempted to install him and another nominee by decree within days of taking office in December 2015.

The Supreme Court invalidated the move, forcing Macri to seek Senate approval - which was granted in June 2016.

Rosenkrantz, a corporate lawyer, has represented among others the Clarín Group - the country's most powerful media conglomerate and the main beneficiary of Macri's media deregulation policies.

Madrid-based Telefónica, Argentina's leading phone service provider, has denounced Macri for allowing Clarín to enter the mobile phone market with preferential treatment - including free access to the nation's 4G network (which cost other providers $400 million) and the June approval of the acquisition of Telefónica's chief competitor Telecom by Clarín in a joint venture with Mexico's Fintech.

Telefónica is reportedly preparing a complaint to be brought before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).

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The Argentine Supreme Court, which under Lorenzetti (second from right) became known for its independence from both left and right-wing administrations, will now have a pro-Macri stalwart - Rosenkrantz (far right) - as chief justice.