Argentinian businessmen charged with money laundering for multi-million dollar deals with Venezuela

Economic Crimes Judge Marcelo Aquinas Eight Argentine businessmen who sold goods to Venezuela for amounts estimated by the court during the Kirchner years were charged with money laundering. 305 million dollars.

President of a group of industrialists who were prosecuted Juan Jose Levy, an Argentine made rich by negotiations with Venezuela. The businessman’s brothers, who had oil ties to the Kirchner leaders, were also prosecuted: Alejandro Javier and Carlos Alberto Levy.

The organization headed by Juan José Levy consisted of companies Laboratories Esme, Bleu Tel, Gulfos Corporation and Grupo Núcleo. Levi’s companies sold feminine pads, diapers, fabric softeners, shampoo and hair conditioner. But televisions and antennas, decoders and transmitters for digital television.

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The purchase was made through a cooperation agreement signed by them Nestor Kirchner and Hugo Chavez. Argentina received Venezuelan fuel, but did not pay for it. The money was deposited in a trust used to finance Argentine exports to Venezuela, and there was trouble getting some of the goods. Its purpose is to promote the export of Argentine products to Venezuela.

It was proved in the case that levy companies They charged Venezuelans huge premiums, and after receiving the money they transferred it to companies with no commercial activity and accounts scattered around the world.. According to the resolution signed by Aquinas, to that infobae Through judicial sources, a “rinse” Legally collected money, even if it is the object of sale of goods with large prices.

Companies that shipped products to Venezuela received 50 or 60 percent of the agreed-upon advance, as stipulated in contracts signed at the time. This, according to the judge, indicates that there is no great commercial risk of potential non-payment justifying the high prices found. For the judge, the premiums charged by the Argentine businessmen were disadvantageous to the Venezuelan government.

The magistrate released the cases in a 600-page decision. He wrote a “brome” in which he outlined in a synthetic way how the operation was generally performed, and then he developed each of the events surrounding the maneuver.

Aguinsky explained that the file analyzed “facts related to a series of contracts for the supply of goods and/or services signed within the framework of a bilateral agreement between the Republic of Argentina and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.”

And he added: “The agreements signed between the two countries refer to the implementation of commercial transactions at ‘internationally competitive prices’.”, Merchandise sold by Laboratorios Esme SAIC, Bleu Tel SA, Corporación Gulfos SA and Grupo Núcleo SA and freight and insurance charged to Venezuelan government agencies would have been overpriced, meaning they would have been contracted at higher prices. Compared to the same products exported by the same Argentine companies to other countries, or compared to the same products sold by other companies to Venezuela or other states.

The contracts between the Argentine companies and the Venezuelan government established that they were “undertaken for the purpose of creating”. A socialist strategic alliance To the Corporation of Socialist Markets “Comerso” within the framework of the Bilateral Agreement between Venezuela and Argentina, to promote the trade exchange of personal hygiene and home care products at reasonable prices, which will be linked to the distribution system and socialism. Consumption to meet the needs of the Bolivarian population.” This is how the agreement signed between Levy-represented Suministros Venezolanos Industriales CA (SUVINCA) and Laboratorios Esme SAIC for the purchase of personal hygiene products read. As determined by the Argentine justice system, the levy imposed surcharges – for example – of 339% on feminine towels and 300% on adult diapers. This is how the “Socialist Strategic Alliance” was confirmed from the Argentine side.

In the implementation, it indicated what was studied: “Thus, the subject under study revolved around the entry and exit of foreign currency from the sale of commercial goods assessed to be of high value in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Taking into account the comprehensive cooperation agreement signed between that country and Argentina, it is a Other conduct that allows for the withdrawal of funds under a legitimate guise may be confirmed, and the manipulation may be more complicated by the intermediation of transactions between the accounts of presumed providers. Coins may have been sent from our country to reach non-external foreign accounts through extrajudicial channels, under the guise of allowing them to remit money to others in connection with the activities under investigation. Their constitutions contain a declaration of origin of funds linking them to the entities under investigation.

When the judge speaks “Accused Suppliers” This is because Levi’s companies bought inputs from Levi’s companies in China and then shipped the products to Venezuela. That is – according to the lawsuit – the Argentinian companies justified the higher prices with invoices from purported Chinese suppliers (who also bought from Levi). The money was then circulated through Levi’s and its business system accounts in various parts of the world. Deposits were found in banks in the United States, Panama, Switzerland, Austria, Hong Kong and the British Virgin Islands, among other places. The judge pointed out: “A subsequent money laundering investigation resulted in a conviction.”

“The proliferation of money transfers between various banking entities owned by companies, most of which may have no commercial activity, leads us to inquire why there was a need to wash clean through convoluted accounts. Origin. In this sense, dubious businesses with suspicious transactions and suspicious cash flows are widely oral and public. To be clarified in the debate, merits of this cause”, the resolution said.

Bleu Tel SA, which sold digital television antennas to Venezuela, paid millionaire figures to a provider called Coosud Telecomunicaciones SA. The community “Trout” and its owners lived in very simple houses in Villa 31 de Retiro. In other words, it was a “weaponized” company to issue apocryphal invoices to inflate the prices paid by Venezuela.

Judge Aquinas tried to get cooperation from the Venezuelan authorities and sent more than 20 letters to Caracas. He had no answer. “Venezuela has always maintained a closed position in the face of the incessant and continuous request for international legal assistance made by this judiciary to investigate the alleged crimes committed in that territory. His reluctance to answer false letters and produce evidence was equally met with a defense effort that yielded no results. The progress in the investigation of the crime of money laundering was made possible by verifying the detailed scenario of the scheme, which was provided by the data provided by other necessary states on the observed money circulation”, said the Magistrate.

Instead, Aquinas noted: “International financial cooperation was effective through the intervention of the Ministries of Justice and Foreign Affairs during the three terms of government under this investigation. However, other government agencies do not seem to have noticed this situation, which did not lead to timely investigations that could shed light on the worst aspects of the incidents. I refer to administrative, financial and political aspects connected with complex maneuvering”. That means nothing has been done to stop the maneuver from the Argentine government to the judge being investigated. In addition, Venezuelan dollars that should have been used to promote the exports of Argentine companies ended up in China and around the world.

Judge Juan Jose Levy and the other defendants – barred them from leaving the country. 85,000,000,000 pesos A figure similar to what he was accused of doing laundry. To Levi’s wife, Maria Juliet Ratto, Who is under investigation, disqualification published. A judge ordered indictments and sanctions against four companies Levy used to “launder” money by selling goods to Venezuela at inflated prices.

In 2011, when he had not yet started doing business with Chavista Venezuela, Juan José Levy declared the patriarchy of one million pesos before the Federal Administration of Public Revenues (AFIP). In 2016, he laundered close to 1,400 million pesos. He had done very well in five years. Considering the progress of the case against him, AFIP

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