Luciano Pantano and his mother Ana Lucía Conte They will testify this Monday morning in the case in which they are accused of being the front men of the treasurer of the Argentine Football Association (AFA). Pablo Tovigginoin the Villa Rosa mansion. It will be the first time they defend themselves in the criminal case investigating alleged money laundering maneuvers.
The two agreed to appear before the white collar criminal judge Marcelo Aguinsky. They weren’t obliged, but they decided to do it. The event will take place at 11 a.m. via video conference. What they say could open a new phase in the court docket. Their explanations will raise another scenario and could even lead to new testing measures.
For Justice there is no doubt that Pantano and Conte are not the owners the 105,000 square foot mansionalthough formally they look like that. That’s why last week the judge ordered measures to clarify the background of the companies, with one goal: to find out the origin of the money with which the house was bought. For this he called to court the head of the DGI, Mariano Mengochea, who received a letter with the work entrusted to the organization.
When Judge Aguinsky took the case, one of the first actions was to inform Pantano and Conte that they could testify if they wished. The two agreed, along with their lawyer Mariano Moran. It is not an investigation where a person is called when accused of an event, nor as a witness.
They were cited on the basis of Article 73 of the National Code of Criminal Procedure, which states that a person accused in a criminal case “has the right to appear in person in court with his defense lawyer, to clarify the facts of the case and to provide evidence which, in his opinion, may be useful, even if he is not under investigation.”
What about the case against Pantano and Conte? The two are owners of “Real Central SRL”, a company that owns the mansion in Pilar, 54 luxury and collector vehicles and a house in the “Ayres Plaza de Pilar” neighborhood.
Tax, banking and tax secrecy was lifted for both and certainty arose: None of them have declared the means or tax ability to own these assets.. So, in fairness, there are no doubts hiding the true owners.
The main target of this role is Toviggino. During the raid on the villa, an AFA bag and a plaque from Barracas Central were found – the club whose chairman is Matías Tapia, one of the sons of the AFA boss. Claudio “Chiqui” Tapiawith the name Toviggino. In addition, several cars confiscated from the house had blue ID cards issued in the name of the leader’s relatives, authorizing them to drive.
There is also a network of companies and football connections. “Real Central SRL” bought the house last year for $1,800,000 from “Malte SRL”, whose owners include: Mauro Pazformer president of a women’s football association. In addition, Pantano was president of the AFA-affiliated Futsal Association and leader of the Almirante Brown club.
The suspicion of justice reaches Toviggino, via Judge Aguinsky last Friday at the request of the prosecutor in the case Claudio Navas Rialordered direct action against the AFA treasurer. The judge ordered the lifting of the tax and banking secrecy of Toviggino, one of his sons, other people and several companies related to the matter, as well as the treasurer of the AFA, many of whom are based in Santiago del Estero, the province from which he comes.
In this court scenario, the case will enter a new phase on Monday. For the first time, some of the defendants will present their version of events.
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