FROM A
DIFFERENT ANGLE by Kenneth Rijock
Financial Crime Consultant, for World-Check
Damaging details emerge in Argentina's "Watergate" Money Laundering Scandal
31 December 2007

Were individuals in high office in Argentina involved in the Antonini incident, and was there an attempt at a cover-up? Some of the answers are beginning to appear, as we learn more about the passengers who were on board the now-notorious private jet that landed at Buenos Aires' Aeroparque Jorge Newbery, but the roles played are confusing. For example, if this is Watergate, how can the person who is the scandal's equivalent of "Deep Throat" also be its Monica Lewinsky? Clearly, one cannot tell who the players are without a scorecard. Today we will attempt to unravel one of the most mysterious of the characters, and explain the significance of her close association with three persons of importance.

Victoria Carolina Bereziuk was a passenger with Antonini on the  famous flight. She has been variously listed as a Public Relations Aide, or the secretary to, fired Argentinian OCCIVI official Claudio Uberti [UID 683185].  Uberti, who also was on the flight, was alleged by the Argentinian government as being responsible for Antonini's improper presence on the aircraft, and was asked to resign when the scandal broke.

Ms. Bereziuk is in the news due to her recent assertion that she saw Guido Antonini Wilson [UID 684165], now wanted for money laundering in Argentina, toasting with high-ranking government officials in the Casa Rosada, the presidential place and the seat of governmental power, two days after Antonini was caught with the US$800,000. If her recollection is correct, the reputed money launderer is connected to the Argentinian government.

Now, let us delve into the relationships between Ms. Bereziuk and the major players in the case:

  • Bereziuk has been variously described by a number of  sources as the paramour of Sr. Uberti. Her presence on the aircraft might lend some credence to that theory.
  • On the other hand, she has been named by a number of authorities in Argentina as having been the primary romantic companion of former President Nestor Kirchner [UID 57551], and there appears to be a general consensus that this information is true. If so, she could easily have served as a messenger, go-between, or liasion on his behalf. But to whom and for what purpose?
  • Now it gets interesting. A photograph, recently appeared in the Argentine media, showing what appeared to be a New Year's party (2006?) where Ms. Bereziuk is with Walter Alexander (Alex) del Nogal [UID 441492], who is believed to be the commander of the money laundering operations that Sr. Antonini participated in. Alex del Nogal was seen at several major Argentinian-Venezuelan government functions in 2007, but is currently incarcerated in an Italian prison, facing serious charges that he was involved in cocaine trafficking operations with the Italian Mafia in Sicily, having been arrested in Milan on the orders of the Anti-Mafia magistrate.

The United States Attorney's Office in Miami, which is presently prosecuting a case against several Venezuelans, and a sole Uruguayan, for attempting to intimidate Antonini into perjuring himself about the destination of the money, says that taped conversations state that the money was going to the Argentinian presidential campaign. Argentinian authorities are strongly denying any connection to either the former, or present, president of Argentina, with Antonini.

Connect the dots, and ask yourself. What is an obscure female employee of a minor Argentinian government agency doing with del Nogal, a high-ranking Venezuelan government employee, but who has prior convictions for homicide, drug trafficking and money laundering? And what was del Nogal doing there?

Stay tuned.


 

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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