Argentina's Money Laundering Probe Enters Decisive Phase

A judicial investigation into a suspected money laundering scheme linked to the finance company Sur Finanzas has entered a decisive phase. After a federal judge ordered the systematic analysis of a huge amount of documentation and devices seized in over seventy procedures, a new stage of the investigation has begun. The intervention of DAJuDeCO (Directorate of Judicial Assistance in Complex Crimes and Organized Crime) marks the beginning of a key phase that could define the final scope of one of the most sensitive financial investigations in recent years. 'Everything is being reviewed absolutely,' a source close to the case summarized. The investigation formally began in July when the club Banfield was being investigated for alleged money laundering maneuvers, but it took on a much larger dimension in November after a complaint was filed by the national government against the finance company owned by Ariel Vallejo. To this end, he urgently requested from the National Civil Aviation Administration the list of pilots and flights that operated in the area. With multiple intertwined cases, thousands of documents to analyze, and Argentine football at the center of the scene, the judiciary now faces the challenge of turning this flood of information into concrete evidence. During one raid in the town of Turdera, police caught the company's treasurer, Micaela Sánchez, transferring company documents. The total amount of suspicious operations exceeded 800 billion pesos, with a tax claim of around 3 billion pesos. Sánchez was detained and subsequently interrogated but refused to cooperate with the investigation despite two formal offers from the prosecution. This refusal left the investigation relying exclusively on the analysis of documentary, digital, and testimonial evidence collected under 73 judicial measures. On a property in Villa Rosa, formally owned by a small taxpayer and a retiree, a warehouse with a collection of high-end cars, a helipad, and various personal items was found, reinforcing suspicions about its real owner.