“You’ll definitely make a fortune with curling. That’s why you deceive me so much.” The obsession with Francisco HauqueFinancial operator, should collect its debts Elias Piccirillohis former partner, to whom he had lent no less than $6 million so that he could earn interest. They knew each other from the Al Río complex, Vicente López, where they were neighbors and part of a circle that expanded greatly in the last two years of Al Río’s government Alberto Fernandez and that a few operated, those who had access to dollars from the Central Bank (BCRA), in full exchange stocks. They bought the currency for around $300 and sold it on the parallel market for over $800. “The roller.” A negotiation.
The sentence is contained in one of the audio recordings recorded in 2024 and incorporated into the case led by the judge Sebastian Casanellowhich this week raided the offices and homes of five BCRA officials for alleged collusion with the sector they were supposed to control. Hauque was urgent because for him and for some in the financial sector – the few who followed “the rules” – something had changed with the change of government. When Javier Milei took over, the official dollar rose from $366 to $800 and, according to the owners of caves and exchange offices, about 40 operators remained barefoot. It’s been months with multiple Mexicanas. Many of them took this for granted months before Sergio Massathen Economics Minister and already a candidate, would become President and the round would continue. “The roller.”
Was it the same with Hauque and Milei? And without a gap? Was your $6 million safe? Piccirillo paid him only the interest, $300,000 a weekand it did not seem as if it had fallen into a spiral of prosperity, but on the contrary: the relationships and contacts had been broken off. Even though he tried to convince him to go ahead with the investment. “You entered 6 and made $300,000 a week for the whole year. That generated 8 for you. “In the business world, debts are paid with business.”. But it wasn’t Hauque’s idea who wanted the capital. “You left me out and on top of that you want to give me a little less.”he insists another time to his former partner, whom he threatens with punishment: “For all this nonsense you have to give me three times more than you owe me.”
The world of money changers is a complicated universe. Has Piccirillo started to get scared? It’s not clear, but the concrete thing is that, exactly the same Leonardo Farina During the period of Kirchnerism he decided to sharpen his profile or at least make no attempt to weaken it. Vice versa. For example, he got married in May 2024 Jessica Cirio and had a party. He also launched a plan to eliminate the problem. He hired several police officers who unsuccessfully helped him test Hauque with a gun and two kilos of cocaine after a meal at the Duhau Palace, which is why Piccirillo is now facing criminal charges and is under house arrest. In this line-up was Carlos Sebastian Smith“the Wolf”, a former member of the police force who had worked with both in custody of assets and was hired by Piccirillo to record and compile a file on Hauque.
“El Lobo” recorded everything, but the operation failed and led to a case that ended up in court Maria Eugenia Capuchetti and that he prosecuted Piccirillo for forcible kidnapping, aggravated drug transportation, aggravated concealment and illegal weapons possession. Quickly and resiliently, “the wolf” then offered himself as an accused collaborator and presented his testimony and, most importantly, a USB stick where he recorded everything and what he kept in his truck. As the prosecutor Franco PicardiAs he listened to the contents, he realized that this was another crime: perhaps a group of financiers were doing business in the violation in collusion with officials who turned a blind eye to the checks of exchange offices. It consisted of Piccirillo, Hauque and another partner, Martin Miguelesnow linked to Wanda Nara. At the worst moment of the exchange rate gap, in October 2023, the difference reached 215%. Picardi then left the case undecided and it fell to the court in Casanello, which last week delegated the investigation to the same prosecutor. For this reason, raids were carried out against the five BCRA officers on Monday.
The five come from the area of supervision of financial institutions and handed over their phones and computers. Are Fabian Violantesenior manager; Diego Volcic And Maria Valeria FernandezChief supervisory inspectors and Analia Jaime And Romina GarcíaGeneral Supervision Inspectors. Everyone except García also gave up their keys.
The audio recordings of the case so far allow the public prosecutor to conclude that they may have been accomplices. In one of his conversations with Piccirillo, Hauque threatens to include everyone. “They’re all going to prison. There’s no way this is going to end well,” he says, adding: “You know I can control Romina.” In another message, he posted a photo of Violante and another official not named in the statement, who he metaphorically projects will be complicated. “They’re chickens. All of them.”he says, as if someone were imagining an oven. These officials are now concerned, but have a defense argument: They say that they immediately informed the Financial Information Unit of any irregularities they saw and that the delays in further implementation were in any case caused by the judiciary. In addition, the delivery of dollars to the banks was decided at the BCRA table, which depended on the instructions of the board, many of whom were close to Massa. “I’m scared,” one of them said THE NATION.
There is no shortage of reasons, as these are very sensitive issues involving powerful people. Last February, in the middle of his fight with Piccirillo, Hauque stood in front of the América 24 cameras. Luis Venturawho interviewed him along with Facundo Pastor And Marina Calabrogot straight to the point: Who gave you the $6 million? “There were more people,” Hauque replied. “Business people, politicians, important people.” Can you name them? Pastor insisted. Answer: “No. The truth is that I’m scared. I don’t know how I got here.”.
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