Argentine Police Raids AFA Headquarters and Football Clubs

On Tuesday, the Federal Police and the Revenue and Customs Control Agency (ARCA) conducted 33 simultaneous raids at the two headquarters of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) — on Viamonte Street and at the 'Lionel Andrés Messi' facility in Ezeiza, at 18 football clubs, and at the headquarters of the Professional League in connection with the alleged money laundering case of 'Sur Finanzas', a company linked to AFA president Claudio 'Chiqui' Tapia and owned by Ariel Vallejo. The operations were ordered by federal judge Luis Armella of Lomas de Zamora to search for 'documentation, digital evidence, cell phones, money, vehicles, and other elements that may be useful' for the investigation. In addition to the two AFA headquarters, the raids are being carried out at the Argentinos Juniors, Armenio, Acassuso, Banfield, Barracas Central, Brown de Adrogué, Defensores de Glew, Excursionistas, Independiente, Los Andes, Platense, San Lorenzo, Temperley, Victoriano Arenas, Deportivo Morón, Dock Sud, Racing Club clubs, and at Recreativo Estrella del Sur and its stadium, named after Claudio 'Chiqui' Tapia. 'All these clubs are linked to Sur Finanzas,' a source involved in the investigation told this media outlet. Judge Armella ordered the raids 'to proceed with their searches and the seizure of elements of interest for the investigation... including documentation, digital evidence, cell phones, money, vehicles, and other elements that may prove useful'. The case investigates the alleged money laundering by Sur Finanzas, a company that financed and sponsored several football clubs, and whose name was carried by the Professional League tournament in recent years. The phones were handed over by Vallejo himself, who appeared at the federal court and provided the passwords to the mobile devices. Now, the justice system has ordered a new wave of raids to find more documentation on the relationship between the AFA, the Professional League, and the clubs with Sur Finanzas. In some clubs, the procedures are being carried out at more than one of their headquarters: at three for Argentinos Juniors, Los Andes, and Platense, and at two for Armenio, Independiente, Racing, and San Lorenzo. This is not the only case involving Sur Finanzas and Vallejo. He is also being investigated for money laundering by the Economic Criminal Court and for the purchase of dollars at the official exchange rate in 2019 when currency restrictions were in place. Vallejo publicly acknowledged his ties to 'Chiqui' Tapia. This case was initiated in mid-August due to suspicions of irregularities involving the Banfield club, and two weeks ago, DGI-ARCA reported the financial company for the alleged evasion of 3.3 billion pesos in the check tax and the handling of over 800 billion pesos, much of which belongs to people who do not have the economic capacity for such transactions or who simply do not exist. Last week, the justice system raided all the headquarters of Sur Finanzas, including the central one, in the Buenos Aires locality of Adrogué. The company had already been raided in the case of alleged bribes at the National Agency for Disability (ANDIS), when it was determined that one of its virtual wallets was used for operations that could be linked to bribes. In addition, the cell phone of Vallejo and his mother, Graciela Vallejo, who is listed as the president of the financial company, was seized. In some cases, operations are being conducted at more than one location of the institutions. Procedures, which began around 8 a.m., are also being carried out at two offices in Puerto Madero that serve as the headquarters of the Professional Football League. The Civic Coalition (CC) hypothesized that the true owners might be Tapia or the AFA's treasurer, Pablo Toviggino. In that case, federal judge Daniel Rafecas ordered the first evidentiary measures while the magistrate in charge is determined. The first to issue a statement following the series of raids at clubs and the AFA headquarters was Racing Club de Avellaneda. On their networks, they informed that 'a raid was carried out at our stadium and at the institution's headquarters located on Mitre Street, Avellaneda, as part of an investigation involving the company Sur Finanzas'. They then stated: 'We wish to inform that the commercial agreement with the company Sur Finanzas was reached in the year 2023 and, to the knowledge of this commission, it has only been a contract for advertising and sponsorship'. In their message, they added that Sur Finanzas still owes a debt to the club and that work is being done to have it settled. They also stated: 'Furthermore, we wish to inform that the contract with Sur Finanzas has an expiration date of December 31, 2025'. The AFA president is also named in a recent complaint filed by the Civic Coalition (CC) to investigate who the true owners of a mansion in the Buenos Aires locality of Pilar are. The property, covering 105,384.80 square meters, includes a collection of classic cars, an Arabian and thoroughbred horse breeding farm, an equestrian training track, a helipad, and various other sports facilities. The property is in the name of 'Real Central SRL', whose owners, Luciano Pantano and Ana Lucía Conte, do not have the financial capacity for such purchases.