Tuesday, September 23, 2008

The suitcase trial, and Antonini's (first) day in court

That was then (triple chin, medallion, Just For Men coiff, total wide-boy look)
But this is now (1 1/2 chins, sober suit, starched collar, mature'n'respectable)

You've come a long way, baby....

In Miami the star snitch/witness Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson took the stand today, and as suspected didnt say much to incriminate the officially accused, Franklin Duran. On the other hand he dropped a couple of right-on-schedule bombshells in the lap of Los Kirchners. A lot of waffle was waffled, but the two things you need to know are:

1) A couple of days after getting the $800k suitcase snatched off him by this person, Antonini met with the bossman of PdVSA Argentina, who asked him where the rest of the money was. Antonini came on all innocent like (according to his testimony today, anyway) and said "what money?". Señor PdVSA replies, "The other $4.2m that came in the other suitcase."

2) Antonini Wilson today testified that he was at a reception in Argentina's "Casa Rosada" ("The Pink House", and official city centre presidential palace) at the same time as the H man. This directly contradicts the Argentine Minister of Justice, Anibal Fernández, who said last week, "Let's finish once and for all with this story that he (Antonini) was in the Casa Rosada.."

He also made it clear that the $800k suitcase wasn't his, and it was Claudio Uberti's. To remind you, Uberti is/was the Kirchner's right hand man and at that time was in charge of the public office that controls Argentina's toll booths....I mean, no ready cash in that department, is there?

Expect fireworks.