An Argentine lawmaker was suspended after he was caught kissing his partner’s breast during a virtual parliamentary session earlier this week. The incident was caught on camera during a video conference by parliamentarians on the Zoom application. The video of the incident soon went viral on social media. Former Congressman Juan Emilio Ameri could be seen fondling and kissing the woman sitting next to him when another parliamentarian was delivering his speech, reported Daily Mail.
Ameri, married and a father-of-three, was seen having sexual pleasure with his alleged beau Celeste Burgos who was sitting on his lap. The former congressman belongs to the northeastern province of Salta and was a part of the meeting on provincial debt.
Zoom fail of the week https://t.co/qVD0fnpfCf
— Mark Nowlan stands w/🇺🇦🌻 (@MarkNowlan) September 25, 2020
The parliamentary discussion immediately stopped as fellow members demanded his expulsion. Ameri, in his defense, said he is splitting from his wife and thought the camera was off.
Since then, Ameri has been facing severe backlash from his colleagues who demanded his suspension and resignation. Ameri defended himself in an interview with a local radio station. “My partner and I are suffering because of this,” he said.
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“I’m very ashamed about what happened and I’m very sorry. The internet connection in the area where I’m based is very bad, My partner was coming out of the bathroom when I thought the connection had gone,” said Ameri.
On Thursday night before offering his resignation he said: “I’m offering my resignation as an MP. I’d like to offer my apologies for what happened. It wasn’t my intention to demonstrate this lack of respect.”
An Argentine lawmaker was suspended after kissing his partner’s breasts during a parliamentary session being held by videoconference, a scene that quickly went viral on social media. #Argentina #videoconference
— Daily Tribune (@tribunephl) September 25, 2020
Miss Massa, one of the MPs, attending the virtual session said: “During the online sessions that have been taking place, a situation occurred that is totally at odds with the normal decorum of this House. We have experienced situations over the past few months in which an MP fell asleep during one remote session but this is an incident that goes well beyond the normal House rules.”