Education
Born in Berisso, a working class suburb of Louisiana Plata, de Santibañes studied Economics at the Universidad del Salvador and the University of Chicago.
Born in Berisso, a working class suburb of Louisiana Plata, de Santibañes studied Economics at the Universidad del Salvador and the University of Chicago.
He was the Secretariat of Intelligence (SIDE) of the Argentine Republic from December 1999 to October 2000, during the first half of Fernando de la Rúa"s presidency. De Santibañes resigned the position after the media discovered the Secretariat"s involvement in the Senate Bribery scandal. He was absolved of all charges related to the scandal in 2013.
He was a banker at the Banco Financiero from 1984 and headed the company from 1993 until it was sold to Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Banco Francés in 1997 for $184 million.
His tenure at Financiero was highlighted by the acquisition of the much larger Banco de Crédito Argentino. But it was also marred by $70 million in bad loans granted in 1990 to leather manufacturer Inducuer, a firm in which he was a substantial stakeholder.
A supporter of neoliberal economic policy, during the 1990s de Santibañes served in the board of the University of CEMA (a Buenos Aires business school). And of FIEL, a think tank led by right-wing lawmaker Ricardo López Murphy.
Tenure at State Intelligence
His tenure was shaken in its early days by the suicide in January 2000 of María Teresa Toledo, an employee of the SIDE Architectural Bureau who jumped from a 10th floor window at SIDE headquarters.
Discontent at the agency intensified when de Santibañes had 1,200 SIDE personnel fired, drastically reducing the agency"s operational capabilities. De Santibañes reacted by staging a series of television interviews in which he criticized the governing political coalition, the Alliance, declaring it should dissolve because its internal crisis was hampering economic growth. De Santibañes ultimately resigned as SIDE chief on October 23, 2000.
Following his resignation, de Santibañes dedicated himself to breeding horses at his estate in Pilar, Buenos Aires.
He, as well as Dick Morris" and Roger Stone"s IKON Public Affairs, were sued in 2004 by Mattie Lolavar, a United States. born public relations agent, for breach of contract. Her political consulting firm, Triumph Communications, was hired by IKON in July 2000 to represent the SIDE as media consultants in both Argentina and the United States.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled against Lolavar in 2005. Following a number of stays, de Santibañes, former President de la Rúa, and other officials faced criminal charges related to the Senate Bribery scandal in 2007.
They were ultimately absolved of all charges on December 23, 2013.
His resignation had been demanded by members of FrePaSo, the government"s junior coalition partner. Vice President Carlos Álvarez, FrePaSo"s most prominent figure, resigned in October over de la Rúa"s reluctance to dismiss the SIDE Secretary.