DIFFERENT ANGLE by Kenneth Rijock
Just when you thought it could not get any worse, the proverbial roof fell in. The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, which includes Miami, indicted a group of Venezuelans, and a lone Uruguayan, for acting as unregistered agents of the Venezuelan government. The allegations include the charge that they made a direct threat to the health and safety of the accused money launderer's family, to prevent him from disclosing the true origin and purpose of the now-famous $800,000, all caught on audio tape. The defendants also allegedly attempted to bribe the money launderer with US$2m. What started out as an obscure seizure of bulk cash, terminating an attempted smuggling operation, has now turned into the major international scandal now known as "suitcase-gate." Who will the ultimate casualty be?
- Argentina is in an uproar over the disclosures of Victoria Beresziuk, the former secretary to deposed ENARSA executive Claudio Uperti (who chartered the bulk-cash smuggling flight). She has given sworn testimony to the authorities to the effect that she saw Antonini in the Casa Rosada, Argentina's Government House, celebrating the signing of an energy agreement with Venezuela. He was allegedly in the company of senior Argentinian officials.
- What is most intriguing is the fact that this event took place on 6 August, two days after Antonini was caught at Buenos Aires' Aeroparque Jorge Newbery with the $800,000 on 4 August. The Argentinian government has previously said he immediately departed the country. If so, how does he show up two days later, with high government officials, in the centre of power?
- Argentina is now seeking Antonini's extradition from the United States for an additional charge: money laundering. May we ask why he was not initially arrested when the money was seized? Perhaps the fact that he was aboard an aircraft loaded with ENERSA and PdVSA officials might have something to do with it.
- One of the Venezuelan defendants in the Miami criminal case is said to have been recorded telling Antonini that the director of DISIP, Venezuela's intelligence and security police, is involved in this matter. How high up in the Venezuelan government does this scandal go? Were cabinet-leval officials involved?
- In another recorded conversation by the defendants, they state that the ultimate destination of the $800,000 was to be an illegal contribution to the Kirschner presidential campaign. Are there corrupt senior campaign officials involved, and who gave the order to accept illicit foreign funding?
- The person who is believed to have been Antonini's direct supervisor during his many money-laden trips to Argentina, DISIP official Walter Alexander del Nogal, in custody in Italy upon reported charges of cocaine trafficking with the Mafia, could shed some light upon the darker aspects of this scandal. Why has he not been interviewed by Argentinian prosecutors?
- Venezuelans who expressed doubts about whether "bagmen" were really moving dollars into other Latin American countries for President Chavez are now unable to explain the cash that a Venezuelan military man, and reputed BANDES (Development Bank of Venezuela) official attempted to smuggle into Bolivia recently. Bolivians actually beat the man, stoned his C-130 military aircraft, and forced it to depart without him.
Will the fallout generated by the exposure of these bulk-cash smugglers bring down a government? We cannot say, but World-Check will be watching.
The facts and opinions stated in this article are those of the author and not those of World-Check. World-Check does not warrant the accuracy of any facts and opinions stated in this article, does not endorse them, and accepts no responsibility for them.
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