Judicial proceedings, led by another federal judge, involve an alleged network of financial operations and fund transfers of unclear origin, reaching millions in Argentine pesos. In recent weeks, the judicial scandal has intersected with the public debate about the future of Argentine football: the national government, on one hand, is pushing for reforms to allow traditional sports clubs to be transformed into private capital corporations, while the leadership of the AFA has resisted these changes, arguing in defense of the associative and amateur model that has historically characterized the sport in the country. Federal justice has deepened this judicial investigation, centered on alleged asset laundering and concealment maneuvers linked to leaders of the Argentine Football Association (AFA). Judge Daniel Rafecas ordered a series of raids on properties shadow-linked to AFA President Claudio 'Chiqui' Tapia and the entity's treasurer, Pablo Toviggino. These measures are part of a broader investigation known as 'Sur Finanzas', which is investigating alleged money laundering and tax evasion related to the firm 'Sur Finanzas' and contracts with football clubs and the AFA itself. The main operation focused on a farm in Villa Rosa, in the Buenos Aires Aires party of Pilar, where expert teams were deployed to survey, film, and photograph all areas of the property, as well as appraise vehicles and valuable items found on site. According to judicial sources, the company may have been used to hide high-value assets, allegedly linked to AFA leaders, although there are no direct accusations against the top officials of the sports organization at this time. The court also ordered a complete video recording of the property, detailed photographs of the findings, and an appraisal of the vehicles, which is part of the evidence-gathering measures to determine the actual value of the property and its possible role in the alleged schemes. In recent hours, the treasurer of the financial firm 'Sur Finanzas', Micaela Sánchez, was detained following a raid on a company warehouse in Turdera, in the Buenos Aires Aires party of Lomas de Zamora, ordered by Quilmes Federal Judge Luis Armella as part of a connected case of alleged money laundering. Preliminary fiscal reports that led to these decisions reveal that the firm is listed as the owner of at least 59 vehicles, including high-end or collector cars and motorcycles, which intensifies suspicions about the origin of the funds used to acquire the property valued in the millions and the incompatibility with the formal economic capacity of the supposed owners. Judicial sources indicate that the investigation covers multiple concurrent lines: on one hand, the probe into the assets and operations of Real Central SRL in relation to the alleged concealment of assets, and on the other, the 'Sur Finanzas' case, which investigates alleged money laundering schemes by that financial firm and possible links to contracts and activities in the sports and business sectors, with the detention of its treasurer as a recent chapter. Additionally, an office in the Palermo neighborhood of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, listed as the formal address of Real Central, was raided in search of corporate documentation and traceability of operations related to asset purchases. During the operation, 45 luxury or collector cars, 7 high-displacement motorcycles, and 2 go-karts were seized, all registered in the name of Real Central SRL and appraised as high-value economic assets.
