An Argentinian lawmaker resigned his post on Thursday after obscene behavior was witnessed by participants in a Zoom meeting earlier that day.
Juan Emilio Ameri was seen kissing his girlfriend’s breast on screen in the middle of the virtual legislative session for the South American country. The 47-year-old politician later stepped down as a member of parliament after he was suspended from the body.
Ameri, who represented Argentina’s Salta province, was on the call with fellow lawmakers as well as members of the public when his girlfriend came into view on the conference call, which was being displayed on a large screen in parliament, The Independent reports. The girlfriend, identified as Celeste Bugos, served as an advisor to Ameri, who is estranged from his wife, according to The New York Post.
Burgos sat on Ameri’s lap as he pulled her close. Ameri proceeded to pull down her shirt, kissing and exposing her breast.
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The meeting was then paused by Argentina’s Chamber of Deputies President Sergio Massa, calling attention to “a serious offense” in Ameri’s act on camera. After the incident, which went viral on social media, Ameri was suspended for 180 days.
Massa considered expelling Ameri from parliament, but the lawmaker elected to resign rather than wait for a decision.
Ameri wrote a letter of resignation and tearfully announced his decision to Argentinian news outlet TN. He expressed that he was unaware that he was visible on the Zoom call, due to technical difficulties, and that he kissed his girlfriend’s breast because she had just completed a breast augmentation.
“It was serious, really. I take responsibility. I’m very ashamed,” Ameri told the Spanish TV news station, according to a translation by Google Translate.
“Taking advantage of the fact that the session was down, I saw that my partner came out of the bathroom and I asked her how she was, due to the operation that was carried out recently to place breast prostheses.”
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In a resignation letter dated Sept. 24, Ameri wrote how ashamed he was by the incident and had no intention to offend the legislative body.
“Given the fact of public knowledge, I write to you to apologize for my conduct during the remote special session on September 24 of this year,” he scribed in Spanish. “It was in no way my intention to disrespect this Honorable Chamber, my fellow deputies and deputies, nor the people of Salta who elected me. Aware of the responsibility that my position represents, I offer my resignation as a national deputy, and I will continue working for my beloved province of Salta and for Argentina to stand up.”
Ameri has three children and has been estranged from his wife.
This is not the first time a public figure has been caught in a suggestive video since the global coronavirus pandemic forced people to work from home. In April, Spanish news anchor Alfonso Merlos was in the middle of a live news report from his home when a half-naked woman appeared in the background. The New York Post reported that Merlos was dating Marta López of CBS reality game show “Big Brother” when the incident happened.
The woman in the video was identified as fellow journalist Alexia Rivas, who said she had been dating Merlos for many weeks. López called the incident “shameful” and “unpleasant.”
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