SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO, ARGENTINA — In a sequel to the story heard around all of South America, a new twist is emerging in the affair of Argentine lawyer Agostina Páez, which captivated the region earlier this year. This week, however, Páez’s father was filmed making the same racist monkey gestures that led to his daughter’s detention in Brazil, just hours after she returned home following a 10-week legal ordeal that sparked international controversy.
Mariano Páez, father of lawyer and influencer Agostina Páez, was filmed imitating monkey gestures at a bar in Santiago del Estero — the same racist gesticulations that led to his daughter’s indictment for racist offenses in Brazil, where she spent over two months detained in Rio de Janeiro.
The footage, recorded by a witness at the Bar Oculto nightclub in the city center and first published by local outlet Info del Estero, shows the transportation businessman laughing and raising his hands to his armpits while mimicking a primate’s movements.
Claims of Payment and Disturbing Admissions
In a second recording from the same evening, the 57-year-old businessman made startling claims about financing his daughter’s release and his own activities. In a second recording from the same night, he is heard claiming that he personally paid the $18,000 bail imposed by the Brazilian court so his daughter could return to Argentina, and that he received no help from the state.
The recordings captured more disturbing statements. “Disgust. I’m disgusted by the state. I’m a businessman, a millionaire, and a loan shark. And a narco… a narco, privately,” he is purportedly heard saying.
Denial and AI Claims
When confronted about the footage, Mariano Páez attempted to discredit the evidence. Mariano Páez, 57, told Argentine broadcaster LN+ that the video had been fabricated using artificial intelligence and that someone demanded five million pesos in exchange for not releasing it.
Páez did, however, confirm that he was at the bar that night and is a regular patron.
Daughter Immediately Distances Herself
Agostina Páez quickly contradicted her father’s denials and publicly distanced herself from his behavior. Minutes after those statements, his daughter contradicted him. Agostina posted a statement on social media, treating the footage as authentic and distancing herself from her father.
“What you see is deplorable, and I condemn it completely. I take responsibility for my own actions: I acknowledged my mistakes, apologized, and faced the consequences. But I can only answer for my own behavior,” she wrote.
The young lawyer expressed her exhaustion with the ongoing controversy, adding, “This nightmare never ends.”
Context: The Original Brazil Case
The incident occurs against the backdrop of Agostina Páez’s recent release from Brazilian detention. Agostina Páez had arrived in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, where she was received at the capital’s Aeroparque airport by her father and Security Minister Patricia Bullrich. That same afternoon, she flew to Termas de Río Hondo, where she reunited with her family.
The lawyer was charged with expressing a racial slur in January after a video went viral showing her making monkey gestures toward staff at a bar in Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro. She spent over two months monitored with an electronic ankle bracelet until a Brazilian court granted a habeas corpus petition and authorized her return after the bail was paid.
Ongoing Legal Proceedings
Despite her return to Argentina, Agostina Páez’s legal troubles continue. Her trial remains open. According to Infobae, prosecutors requested the minimum sentence of two years, and both the prosecution and the plaintiff agreed to allow Agostina to carry out community service from Argentina.
The presiding judge has yet to ratify the agreement, according to Uruguayan outlet Mercopress.
Pattern Recognition and Family Dynamics
The father’s behavior raises questions about family patterns and influences that may have contributed to the original incident. The timing — occurring just hours after Agostina’s emotional return home — suggests potential underlying attitudes that extend beyond a single individual’s actions.
The incident also highlights the complex family dynamics at play, with Mariano Páez having been present at his daughter’s airport reception alongside high-ranking government officials, only to engage in similar behavior that evening.
Argentina has long been accused of tolerating overt racist tendencies in the South American nation’s cultural society. Instances of racism at fútbol matches, where the “monkey dance” is a common occurrence, are well known and documented.
Implications for Ongoing Case
Legal experts suggest the father’s actions could potentially impact Agostina’s ongoing case in Brazil, particularly regarding character assessments and the sincerity of her apologies to victims. The fact that similar behavior emerged within the immediate family circle so quickly after her release may influence Brazilian prosecutors’ evaluation of the case’s resolution.
Cross-Border Racism and Regional Relations
The incident underscores broader issues about racist attitudes that transcend national boundaries within Latin America. While Agostina’s case exposed different legal frameworks between Argentina and Brazil regarding racial offenses, her father’s behavior suggests these differences may reflect deeper cultural and societal patterns.
Public and Political Response
The footage has circulated widely on Argentine social media, with many users expressing dismay at the repetition of behavior that had already caused significant diplomatic and legal complications. The incident comes at a sensitive time for Argentina-Brazil relations, particularly given the high-profile nature of the original case.
Security Minister Patricia Bullrich, who personally received Agostina at the airport, has not commented on the father’s subsequent behavior.
Looking Forward
The development threatens to reignite controversies that many hoped had concluded with Agostina’s return to Argentina. Her immediate public distancing from her father’s actions demonstrates an attempt to contain the damage, though the viral nature of the footage suggests the story will continue to generate attention across the region.
For Agostina Páez, who described her Brazilian detention as “the worst experience of my life,” her father’s actions represent a new challenge to moving forward from the international incident that brought unwanted global attention to her family and raised serious questions about racism in Latin American society.
The case continues to serve as a stark reminder of how individual actions can have far-reaching diplomatic, legal, and social consequences across borders in an interconnected region.
