Justice ordered the seizure of 26 properties linked to Daniel Muñoz's environment

Lucia Salinas

12/31/2020 5:13 PM

• Clarín.com

• Politics

Updated 12/31/2020 5:13 PM

The environment of Daniel Muñoz, former private secretary of Néstor Kirchner, was dedicated - the justice concluded - to carry

out money laundering operations.

This is a file that emerges from the bribery notebooks, where real estate transactions were investigated with which

70 million dollars

would have been externalized

.

Assets that alleged front men bought abroad to launder money were contemplated, as well as maneuvers carried out in the country.

For this reason, Judge

Marcelo Martínez De Giorgi, ordered the seizure of 26 properties

and precautionary measures on 26 companies that were used for money laundering operations, to cover $ 1,600 million.

"Based on the decisions handed down throughout all these processes related to the case," known as the Cuadernos de las Bribes, "this Court has aimed to allocate efforts towards a central objective in this type of complex investigation: the recovery of assets ", indicates in the resolution to which

Clarín

agreed

 the judge Marcelo Martínez De Giorgi.

In the framework of the constitution of companies for the purchase - sale of properties abroad, and thus to be able to withdraw money of illicit origin from the country, a series of precautionary measures had been ordered, in order to "protect the assets involved."

Those decisions adopted by the late judge Claudio Bonadio, were confirmed by the Buenos Aires Federal Chamber.

The money laundering operations investigated in this section of the file included more properties.

For this reason, Judge Martínez De Giorgi indicated that "it is conducive for this investigation to analyze the possible application of a precautionary measure, with respect to registrable assets in particular, aimed at guaranteeing the rights of the National State, since the party is injured by the investigation subject matter washing maneuvers ".

Thus, an extensive list of real estate was included that was acquired with what was considered to be money from the illicit association led by Cristina Kirchner.

The same, according to the main investigation, was dedicated to the collection of illegal funds, that is, bribes paid by state contractors to ensure the renewal of concessions, works contracts, in three areas: energy, public works and transportation . 

A department in the name of former secretary K Daniel Muñoz in New York.

During the investigation, prosecutors Carlos Rívolo and Carlos Stornelli, determined that the thirteen defendants in this section related to the main cause, formed "a legal, corporate and banking structure abroad, used to convert, transfer, administer, sell, hide and / or put funds of illicit origin into circulation in the market, precisely those originated and received by Daniel Muñoz ".

These operations were framed as part of the illicit association and the "passive bribery" for which Cristina Kirchner was accused of being the head of the illicit association.

The purpose of the movement of these funds, according to prosecutors, was "to integrate them into the formal economic circuit under the guise of lawfulness, all of this at least since 2010 and in force today."

Consequently, it was accepted that from 2010 to 2015 Carolina Pochetti, Sergio Todisco, and Elizabeth Ortíz Municoy, and in some cases Carlos Cortez, Leonardo and Rubén Llaneza and Fabián Parolari, "intervened in the maneuver of application of funds intended for the acquisition of assets abroad, specifically 14 properties located in the cities of Miami and New York, USA, disguised in the name of at least twelve legal entities incorporated and based in the USA and the British Virgin Islands ".

The house of the former Kirchner secretary Daniel Muñoz in Mar de las Pampas that was seized by the justice and will be auctioned.

For these money laundering operations, the defendants intervened in the constitution and formation abroad of at least twelve companies, "which were placed in the name and in the administration of the marriage of Todisco and Municoy, when their true and real owners and beneficiaries were Carolina Pochetti and Daniel Muñoz ".

Using the companies detected, a series of buying and selling of real estate was launched to launder illicit money and avoid the possible tracing of these operations.

In total, 14 properties were acquired, twelve of which are in Miami and two remaining in New York.

The sum of all the money laundered is $ 68,665,700.

Now judge Martínez De Giorgi advanced on another set of properties.

At the discretion of the magistrate, it should advance on more embargoes, since "there is a well-founded suspicion that those named have the assets that make up their assets, prior to the issuance of a possible sentence."

Furthermore, regarding the assets of the accused and related companies, "which were acquired in some cases in parallel and in others after those events, it is possible to maintain that they were acquired with the proceeds of the crime, for which they are prosecuted, "said the federal judge.

A garage that was connected to Daniel Muñoz's office where there were vintage and luxury cars linked to former secretary K.

Among his arguments, the magistrate indicated that in the case "the existence of economic confusion and corporate and personal intersection between the defendants or their companies has been demonstrated, it is necessary to comply with the objectives and purposes indicated, proceed" to the seizure of the assets "in order to preserve the assets that are the object of the maneuver."

This, -he continued-, based on considering the facts investigated and the accusation on Daniel Muñoz's environment, as well as the testimonies given by those who have testified under the figure of repentant, "in addition to the probative material collected throughout the investigation and the reports obtained from the different Real Property Registries in the country and from the National Directorate of the Automotive Property Registry ".

For this reason, it ordered the embargo and the prohibition to innovate on 26 properties,

most of them located in Buenos Aires and in the province of Santa Cruz,

registered in the name of natural persons who acted as alleged front men and another large group, registered in the name of a set of companies.

Also, it was decided to impose the embargo on 26 companies until covering a lump sum of money of $ 1,600 million.

It is estimated that it is part of the money that could have been dumped into money laundering operations both in the country and abroad.

Both the properties and the companies are related to Daniel Muñoz's environment.