Nicolas Caputo recognized the funds hidden in tax havens during the money laundering operation promoted by Mauricio Macri.

Nicholas Caputo entered Financial fraud prompted that 2016 His close friend and former business partner, the then President Maurizio Macri. Be honest up front AFIP The millionaire fund in dollars he kept in a bank account in Switzerland and controlled by a Community in the Cayman Islands.

Caputo’s money laundering involved the declaration of a financial structure that included a trust in addition to the account and company. DAll this has been formalized over the years and taxed in total, supported by supporting documents. But this was not enough to calm the fury of the Federal Administration of Public Revenues (AFIP). After receiving information from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the collection agency launched an audit in 2021, which is still open.

AFIP focuses on both financial integrity and audit Newman Trust, A belief that Kabuto Restricted in the Cayman Islands since February 2015 With the help of Amicorp, according to the documents accessed, a global company dedicated to managing this type of corporate structure International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), Includes LA NACION, Infobae and elDiarioAR.

Through that trust, Caputo assumed control of a foreign company he called Newman LimitedHe opened it and, in turn, An account in a Swiss bank named Julius Baer. Both the trust and the maritime company have specifying clauses To the school where “Nicky” and Macri attended.

At 63, Caputo was a shareholder in companies such as Central Puerto, the Caputo Family Construction Company and Mircor, or at one time owned the Macri Group. Weeks ago, Vice President Christina Kirchner made a public speech in response to accusations by attorney Diego Luciani in the rape case. He said Caputo had a relationship of trust with Kirchnerism’s former public works secretary Jose Lopez And the judge requested to investigate it.

Caputo’s offshore network will undergo changes in 2019, confirmed Nation Accounting documents. Businessman Julius Baril closed his bank account He told AFIP He wired the funds to another account in Banque Piquet in Switzerland. That He also announced to the Argentine Treasury.

By then, the Julius Baer Amassed many controversies in Argentina and worldwide. Among other reasons, his role in covering up fortunes linked to FIFAgate, the scandal that rocked football. In 2016, then President Macri stated that He maintained a bank account in the Bahamas branch of that bank, which he later returned.

Consulted by ICIJ’s Argentina team, Caputo confirmed the presence of this maritime network in the environment and noted that today the entrepreneur has announced everything before AFIP. For their total assets while showing supporting documents.

“Caputo pays taxes for that trust and related account in Argentina in 2016 honestly,” The Argentinian team of the ICIJ confirmed that they were close to the businessman before the consultation, although they did not specify the origin of the funds deposited in Switzerland.

According to documents accessed by the Argentine ICIJ team, an employee of the Amicorp law firm in charge of the proceedings stated in the forms that Caputo, the sole controller of the offshore network, was later the owner and “shareholder” of Caputo SAIC. Companies Caputo SAICYF, Mirgor SA and Central Puerto”. “Know Your Customer”, The income came from the dividends he received as a shareholder in those companies.

In Argentina, pursuant to options implemented by local law, Caputo laundered the trust’s balance before AFIP, to which he assigned a value of 1 peso. But in the same act he disclosed the linked bank account and holdings in dollars for which he paid taxes to the local treasury. The amount he disclosed is in reserve.

In August 2021, after the regime change, AFIP opened several audits to Argentine taxpayers who accepted money laundering. Kaputo was studied among them. They were launched after the collection company headed by Mercedes Marco del Pont at the time. OECD information on Argentines with banking and financial assets abroad was obtained.

In the case of Caputo, according to people close to the businessman, “AFIP found a potentially contradictory situation.” Y Macri’s associate and friend tried to verify why he declared The Newman Trust for just 1 penny.

He was able to rebuild Nation, Investigators from AFIP’s Microcentro Division visited Caputo’s accountant’s office -This is also the case with Macri and other famous public figures from various fields- Find supporting documentsIncluding bank statements and company balance sheets, it would confirm that Caputo had declared the total assets of the account at the Pictet Bank in Switzerland.

Along the same lines, they pointed out that close to Caputo, Macri’s “brother of life” – in the words of the former president – is not the only taxpayer facing a similar AFIP review. They rejected a political motive.

According to documents accessed by ICIJ, Caputo controlled another offshore company, Nikki Worldwide Corporation. Incorporated in Panama in 2009 Restricts property in the state of Florida. Unlike the Newman Trust, The businessman announced the creation of this company before AFIP, although it is not his.

In 2018, Macri’s best friend sold the company — and therefore, the property — to his brother Jorge Antonio Caputo. Responsible for operational practices in Panama, the company placed directors as the visible face of the company.

Thus, as of May of that year, “Tonio” Caputo became the sole owner and controller of the offshore company whose finances—according to registration forms—were matched. “Commercial Income” linked to Central Puerto, Mircor and Ecogas.

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The Argentina ICIJ team consists of Ricardo Brom, Hugo Alconada Mon, Mia Jastreplanski (LA NACION), Ivan Ruiz, Mariel Fitzpatrick, Sandra Crucianelli (Infobae) and Emilia Delfino (elDiarioAr).