She entered the diplomatic field at the Argentine Foreign Ministry in 1999, after graduating from the National Foreign Service Institute [es], with Mexico being her first international destination. There she became head of the commercial economic section of the Argentine embassy. She later served as the undersecretary of foreign affairs, as part of the team of vice chancellor Eduardo Zuain [es].[1]
After the official establishment of relations between Argentina and Qatar [es] and the creation of an embassy in Doha, Surballe was appointed as the first Argentine ambassador.[3] The agrément was granted by the Qatari government in April 2013,[1] and she presented her credentials to foreign minister Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah on 15 September.[4] She became one of only six female ambassadors to the country by 2016.[5] She remained in the position until June 2018.[6]
On 30 December 2016, Surballe was charged by prosecutor Paloma Ochoa, along with President Mauricio Macri, Vice President Gabriela Michetti, Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra, and other officials of the Argentine government, for "fraudulent administration" as participants in the signing of the Memorandum with Qatar [es] on 6 November 2016. This created an investment fund for US$1.3 billion, with an "offshore structure", for the administration of the ANSESSustainability Guarantee Fund [es]. The investigation was directed by federal judge Daniel Rafecas [es].[7][8]
Judge Rafecas dismissed the aforementioned ut-supra complaint in 2017 due to the absence of a crime associated with the signing. The dismissal was confirmed by Chamber I of the Federal Court on 19 March 2018.[9]
