After a failed attempt to make Treasurer Micaela Sánchez repent, the judiciary is preparing for a review the “abundant amount” of evidence collected in recent weeks in the case investigating alleged money laundering by Sur Finanzas, Ariel Vallejo’s financial company linked to Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia and the AFA.
The Federal Judge of Lomas de Zamora Luis Armella This Friday, a specialized organization was brought in to carry out an order and classification together with the public prosecutor’s office and the possible involvement of other organizations all the material collected so far.
Between searches, warrants and raids – many of them at football clubs – in total 73 procedures In doing so, Justice was able to collect a large number of items, including documents, notes, cell phones, computers and other storage devices.
“There are a wealth of elements as a result of these actions and given the complexity of the investigation undertaken here, I understand that this is the case necessary for compiling, organizing and analyzing “The same applies for the purposes of obtaining any evidence and leads that may arise, as well as, if necessary, carrying out new evidentiary measures and/or expert reports in the field,” the judge said in his last order.
With this letter, Judge Armella issued an intervention to the Directorate of Judicial Assistance in Complex Crimes and Organized Crime of the Judicial Branch of the Nation (DAJuDeCO), a support body under the Supreme Court that intercepts telephone conversations, prepares technical reports and prepares expert reports for prosecutors and courts in complex cases.
The judge called for “the greatest possible speed and promptness given the complexity and scope of this investigation.”
The raids reached the sports and administrative headquarters of 18 football clubs, including San Lorenzo, Racing, Independiente and Barracas Central; the headquarters of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and addresses associated with Vallejo and his financial company.
The judiciary took information from Sur Finances’ headquarters in Adrogué 44 people. Vallejo gave his cell phone along with that of his mother, Cecilia Vallejo, after the first wave of operations. As these media reports, conversations with various leaders from the world of football are taking place on the device.
“Everything is being checked,” said a source familiar with the case.
These two phones and many others, like the police ones found hidden on the seat of a truck, are part of the material in the hands of the judiciary.
One of the raids was carried out on a warehouse in Turdera – near Adrogué – after an anonymous caller alerted to suspicious movements on site that occurred about twenty days ago: vans with Sur Finanzas motifs came and went with boxes stored in the warehouse.
When the police arrived at the scene the day after the call and checked the accuracy of the data, they met the treasurer of the financial company, Micaela SanchezMoving boxes with signature documentation inside and outside five hidden cell phones on the seat of a truck.
The woman was arrested and interrogated. The prosecutor Incardona twice offered her and her lawyer to submit to the regime of the accused collaborator. However, the woman did not want to show remorse and chose not to testify or answer questions, sources familiar with those conversations said.
The cause is not new, but a tipping point occurred last month. The file originated in July as an investigation into the Banfield Club for alleged money laundering, but gained density and scope in November with the government’s complaint to Vallejo’s financial firm.
The judicial presentation was carried out by the General Directorate of Taxes (DGI), in the hands of the then Director of ARCA, Andres Vazquez. This was the result of an investigation that began in April last year, during which the authority uncovered a series of suspicious transfers whose amounts did not match the economic profile of the account holders.
One of the cases uncovered by LA NACION is that of a category “A” monotributist, without property and with only a 2008 model car to his name, who moved in just four months 7 billion dollars.
The total number of operations that attracted the attention of the DGI exceeded 800 billion pesos. For these movements, the organization demanded payment of more than 3 billion pesos in taxes.
The fifth
Running parallel to the Sur Finanzas file is the case investigating the lavish villa in Villa Rosa, Pilar, which is in the name of a monotributist and a pensioner, but is suspected of actually belonging to the treasurer of the AFA. Pablo Toviggino.
The farm has more than 10 acres, a large warehouse where Justice found an expensive collection of cars – many of the highest quality, such as three Porsches – and a helipad.
During the raid ordered by the judge Daniel Rafecas, A bag with Toviggino’s name was also found, a plaque honoring him by the Barracas Central club, associated with the “Chiqui” and, as part of the vehicle fleet, two karts, like those used by his son Máximo in official competitions.
The case has been transferred to the Economic Crimes Court and Judge Marcelo Aguinsky is now trying to find out who traveled on the flights to the villa. To this end, it called on the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) to urgently provide the list of pilots who operated at the helipad.
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