Argentinian Presidential Corruption Linked to Swiss Banks

News provided by

The Organized Crime Observatory (OCO)

24 Oct, 2013, 08:00 GMT

GENEVA, October 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Over US$5 Billion of monies supposedly belonging to Kirchners might have been laundered into Swiss banks at least since 2005. From the Argentinian inquiry conducted by Prosecutor José Marìa Campagnoli who uncovered a EUR55 millions money laundering scheme, investigative journalist Juan Gasparini, longstanding Organized Crime Observatory (OCO) member, has reconstructed the complete scheme and exposed it in his new book entitled "Las Bovedas Suizas Del Kirchnerismo". The Swiss Federal Public Ministry (MPC) has recently started an inquiry involving at least two banks and a fiduciary company.

The book highlights the flow of money out of Argentina via a number of companies, and includes direct testimony from two former business associates who were directly involved in the money laundering scheme of the treasurer of the hidden fortune of the presidential couple.

Gasparini, who joined OCO in the early years back in 1999, previously published a book entitled "El Pacto Menem-Kirchner" that explored how M. Kirchner and his political opponent, former President Carlos Menem, both used Switzerland as a privilegied destination. Menem used it for alleged corrupt funds. Kirchner used it for its own schemes.The book explores the inquiries in Switzerland against Menem's accounts but also the dubious repatriation of US$390 million to Argentina out of US$500 million of public money that were initially invested by Nestor Kirchner who was Governor at the time, in the international markets to avoid the effects of the pesos devaluation of 2001. Nothing has yet done to uncover what happened with the difference and the 15 years of interests.

But the pieces of the puzzle seem to recollect 10 years after. In fact, in 2004, M. Kirchner fires the Argentinian Justice Minister Beliz and his state secretary Campagnoli and in the meantime, the Swiss judge that was investigating the case moved in another jurisdiction. The place was clear to start a new money-laundering scheme.

OCO President, Nicolas Giannakopoulos, welcomed the book as a major step forward in the fight against political corruption and money laundering:

"Juan Gasparini has devoted himself to uncovering the truth about corruption in Argentina, revealing the details of one of the largest cases of political corruption and international money laundering ever seen in the world.  This book has vital lessons for the international media on how to uncover hidden crime and for global investigating and prosecuting agencies on how criminals work to evade discovery.  That Juan has achieved this in the face of enormous personal risk is testament to his determination that high office should be no defense against investigation and that crime must be punished irrespective of the importance and wealth of the perpetrator."

It also shows how political power is being used to thwart attempts to uncover the truth, and how Juan Gasparini overcame these many hurdles to reveal the facts of a crime in which every Argentinian citizen is a victim. On the 21st of October 2013, the case was transferred to another team of judge and prosecutor. We hope they will continue the work started by M. Campagnoli. 

About OCO

OCO is a Swiss based association (NGO) founded in 2001 and now part of the Global Studies Institute of the University of Geneva. Its goals are to provide understanding on structured criminal behaviors, patterns and facts, to educate specialists and large public on the phenomenon through education, trainings, lobbying and public announcements but also by helping involved parties to communicate between them in a trustful and secure way. With more than 250 specialists worldwide, OCO believes that structured crime is a danger for the security of democracy, privacy and freedom around the world and must be addressed, as a global problem, through worldwide networking and exchange.

For more information, please visit http://www.o-c-o.net.

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