Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez and Bolivia's President Evo Morales (R) look to the first Independence Act during the Venezuela's Independence Day celebrations in Caracas July 5, 2008. REUTERS/HO Miraflores Palace (VENEZUELA)
Posted on 07/06/2008 4:04:44 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
MIAMI (Reuters) - A lawyer for a defendant in the Argentine "suitcase scandal" said a U.S. government witness has sworn that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was personally involved in the affair, according to a U.S. court filing.
The government witness, Carlos Kauffmann, pled guilty in March to U.S. charges arising from the seizure of $800,000 in a suitcase in Buenos Aires and agreed to testify against former associate Franklin Duran in exchange for lighter punishment.
U.S. prosecutors have indicated that they had been told the $800,000 was intended for the election campaign of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, the former first lady who won Argentina's presidential election in October.
The case set off a torrent of corruption allegations in Argentina and raised diplomatic tensions between Washington, Caracas and Buenos Aires.
Edward Shohat, a Miami attorney for Duran, said in a court filing that Kauffmann had told FBI agents in a deposition that a third defendant had told him that Chavez had a personal role in allegedly sending the cash to Argentina.
"Based on the FBI report, Kauffmann can be expected to testify ... that co-defendant Moises Maionica told him and others that President Chavez was involved in the matter and had put (intelligence service chief Henry) Rangel Silva in charge, and that Rangel told him that President Chavez personally was involved in the matter," Duran's lawyer said in the court filing dated June 27.
Duran, a businessman scheduled to go to trial in Miami September 2 on charges of violating U.S. lobbying laws, is Venezuelan, as are Maionica and Kauffmann.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez and Bolivia's President Evo Morales (R) look to the first Independence Act during the Venezuela's Independence Day celebrations in Caracas July 5, 2008. REUTERS/HO Miraflores Palace (VENEZUELA)
Color me surprised... Hugo's grubby little fingers are into anything and everything to create anxiety and anarchy. Methinks Hugo has expansion plans... apparently ruining the Venezuelan economy isn't enough...
“raised diplomatic tensions between Washington, Caracas and Buenos Aires.”
Egad. Tense diplomats. I don’t know if I can deal with it.
Suprised Chavez hasn’t yet moved on the disputed Essequibo province of northern Guyana.
still waiting for the other shoe to drop... :)
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