Luis Caputo criticized Ricardo Darín for his comments about the price of empanadas: "He tried to make himself national and popular, and he said something stupid."

Economy Minister Luis Caputo got his foot in the door when he crossed paths with Ricardo Darín after the actor complained about the price of a dozen empanadas. "He tried to make himself seem national and popular, and he said something stupid ," he declared.

Caputo gave an interview to LN+ where he was asked about Darín's comments during his appearance on Mirtha Legrand's show. The El Eternauta star had complained that a dozen empanadas cost him, according to him, $48,000 , and in that context, he criticized the virtual dollar laundering launched by the government.

"Darín's performance was terrible, a surprise. I felt a little embarrassed ," commented the minister, who added that the actor " wanted to act national and popular and said something stupid that they're still using on social media."

"It's all well and good if you can buy empanadas at Mi Gusto or Don Julio, but empanadas aren't worth that much, Ricardito," the minister commented, not without a hint of irony, about two restaurants known for their high prices.

And he gave an example to confront Darín: "It's like going to Porsche tomorrow and telling Mirtha, 'Mirtha, cars cost $200,000, people can't afford to buy your Porsche.' "

As a finishing touch, Caputo left him a message with his own price for the dozen empanadas: "Ricardo, don't worry, people are eating delicious empanadas for $16,000 ."

Darín participated this weekend in Mirtha Legrand's panel. During that discussion, the host asked him about the government's recent economic measure, which seeks to circulate dollars that are "in the mattress," that is, outside the financial system.

“I honestly don't understand anything. I'm a little puzzled by this whole taking-the-dollars-out-of-the-mattress thing. Who are they talking about in that regard? I don't know, a dozen empanadas costs 48,000 pesos. 48,000 pesos!” Ricardo lamented.

Caputo wasn't the first to be irritated by a comment from the actor. Back in 2013, while Cristina Kirchner was in her second term, Darín had questioned the former president's assets during an interview with the now-defunct magazine Brando. "I wish someone could explain to me the Kirchners' growing wealth," he commented at the time.

The then-president didn't let the comment go and responded in a letter posted on Facebook. In that letter, Cristina maintained that the explanations regarding her assets had already been presented to the courts and the Supreme Court, and retorted: "I rule out, Ricardo, that you trust the courts. You yourself were accused and arrested by a judge in March 1991 for the crime of smuggling."

The incident the former vice president referred to occurred when Darín purchased a 4x4 Nissan Pathfinder that arrived in the name of Mercedes Angela Rosso, a disabled woman who was prosecuted and later died. The Justice Department was investigating the smuggling of cars entering the country under Law 19.279, which allowed disabled people to purchase vehicles without paying taxes or customs fees.

The minister also addressed Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's remarks this Sunday regarding the government's money laundering measures, and considered that the former president "is right" in her assessment, as he dismissed the measure as aimed at "laundering money from drug trafficking."

During an event this Sunday to commemorate the anniversary of Néstor Kirchner's inauguration, the former president challenged her own supporters, who were questioning the criticisms against the government for the virtual money laundering scheme launched last week, which, according to some Kirchnerists, would facilitate money laundering by drug traffickers. "50 million pesos in drug trafficking is a joke, forget it, it doesn't exist," the current president of the Partido Popular (PJ) commented with a laugh.

"Let's criticize other things but let's not talk nonsense , that's the only thing I ask of everyone, because if we go on TV and say that for 50 million pesos we're going to launder drug money, the drug traffickers watching on TV in Nordelta, in Puerto Madero, in Rosario are going to die laughing . Let's stop messing around ," said the former vice president.

When asked, Caputo agreed, although he did say he was amused by "how her followers celebrated." "If we say it, they'll insult us. Now she's saying the same thing, which was actually quite good because they already looked ridiculous saying that," he added.

And he continued with the surprising praise: "Point for the former president, It's ridiculous that anyone thinks this is good for drug traffickers; drug traffickers are more sophisticated. Neither big business nor drug traffickers need this; this is for the small businesses, for those who were able to accumulate something over the last 20 years. I think the former president did a very good job ," he reiterated.

Luis Caputo also spoke about the lifting of the currency controls and fired back at those who initially questioned the measure. "The dollar is set by the market. Before, many said 'it's artificially low.' Now that we've lifted the currency controls, it's practically at the same level as the official currency controls, to the surprise of many, which has proven that it wasn't artificially low," he explained this Sunday.

The Minister of Economy also referred to the exchange rate band system imposed by the government. "Most likely, the dollar will continue to decline," he said, referring to the exchange rate reaching close to $1,000 . "What won't happen, what we shouldn't expect, are shocks ," he added.

Caputo also referred to inflation , which he stated "is going to collapse" and that "it's a matter of time." "It could be a surprise; it could happen sooner than we think," he concluded.