Buenos Aires, December 15 (NA) – The treasurer of Sur Finanzas, Micaela Sánchez, refused to testify this Monday before Federal Judge Luis Armella of Lomas de Zamora. She was only able to say that she was following orders, according to judicial sources reported by the Noticias Argentinas agency. The woman is accused as an accomplice to the crime of aggravated concealment for hiding and destroying evidence, within the framework of a case for alleged money laundering where the main suspect is businessman Ariel Vallejo. Sánchez had been caught in the act last Thursday during a raid on a warehouse located in the Buenos Aires town of Turdera. Meanwhile, the La Plata Federal Chamber must now decide whether to unify the 'Sur Finanzas' case with another investigation opened by a complaint from the Revenue and Customs Control Agency (ARCA). According to the accusation, an attempt was being made to hide documentation and other sensitive elements linked to the financial company at that location. For the prosecution, there is a direct link between this operation, the use of trusts, and the services of Sur Finanzas to channel illicit funds. Ariel Vallejo voluntarily appeared to hand over his mobile phone and allow it to be examined. Along with her, two drivers were also detained while transporting boxes with documentation and cell phones that are now being analyzed by investigators. During the raid, documentation and five mobile phones were found hidden under a car seat. Inside the warehouse, agents seized a large number of boxes with company papers, a computer, and several safes, the contents of which are under analysis. This led to intelligence tasks and, finally, to the raid ordered by Judge Armella. Upon the arrival of the Federal Police at the scene, Sánchez was found loading boxes into one of the vans. A 72-year-old man recounted that he had seen several vans with the 'Sur Finanzas' logo unloading boxes, which appeared to be a hasty but discreet move. The money laundering case has already led to more than 35 raids, including at AFA headquarters, football clubs such as San Lorenzo, Racing, Independiente, and Excursionistas, as well as the AFA facility in Ezeiza, the Superliga headquarters, and private homes. In parallel, Armella is temporarily handling an investigation linked to Club Atlético Banfield, which examines the incorporation of a two-million-euro loan into the club's assets that was never repaid. The woman's home and a computer store were also raided. The investigation also revealed that in the weeks prior, an IT technician had been hired to reset the computers of Sur Finanzas.
