ARGENTINE VALIJAGATE INVESTIGATION MOVING SLOWLY

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000462 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KJUS PREL SNAR KCOR VZ AR SUBJECT: ARGENTINE VALIJAGATE INVESTIGATION MOVING SLOWLY REF: 07 BUENOS AIRES 2380 AND PREVIOUS ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The Argentine investigation into the origin and destination of USD 800,000 seized from a Venezuelan-American passenger arriving on a chartered flight from Caracas last August continues to move forward slowly. A new judge has been assigned to oversee the money laundering and customs infractions case, but the two Venezuelans previously scheduled to face charges April 9 in court announced through their lawyer that they would not appear. End summary. Two No Shows -------------- ¶2. (U) Daniel Uzcategui Specht, 20, and his father, former PDVSA Vice-President Diego Uzcategui Matheus, announced through their lawyer that they would not present themselves in court April 9 to face charges of money laundering and smuggling in connection with the seizure of $800,000 last August. The two were passengers on the small plane that brought in the money. The Uzcategui's lawyer Hugo Pinto claimed his clients (currently living in Venezuela) were having trouble leaving the country because of passport problems; they had already postponed court appearances twice before. The prosecutor in the case, Maria Luz Rivas Diez, reportedly will request that the judge file a warrant for their arrests. ¶3. (U) The defense lawyer has also requested the recusal of the prosecutor -- a petition that outgoing judge Marta Novatti is expected to respond to on April 14. A new judge, Daniel Petrone, 36, was named to the "economic crimes" bench and assigned to this case on April 3 and officially takes over on April 22. Petrone will have to respond to the prosecutor's request to declare former GOA official Claudio Uberti as a suspect in the case. Uberti was a recognized protege of Planning Minister Julio De Vido. He was fired from his job following the scandal but reportedly has not yet been questioned by prosecutors as they are deciding first whether to charge him. ¶4. (SBU) Comment: Related to this case, there is a separate criminal investigation into the possible misappropriation of GOA funds to charter the jet that brought the infamous suitcase from Caracas to Buenos Aires during Argentina's pre-electoral period. Both cases are proceeding at a dilatory pace. The Uzcateguis' absence is yet another delay for the money laundering investigation. Although Argentine prosecutors requested the extradition from the U.S. of Antonini-Wilson, they have not interviewed most of the characters involved. Uberti's secretary Victoria Beresziuk is the only passenger on the August 4 flight from Caracas who has testified to date, and it seems unlikely the prosecution will call further witnesses. Although no longer front-page fodder, procedural developments in the Argentine cases are duly noted in the press, which has contrasted them with the dramatic pace of the distantly related Miami court case, in which two of the four defendants have already pled guilty. However, we have no doubt that any new significant revelations in this case would again be on page one. End Comment. WAYNE