Bribe notebooks trial: Witness recognizes over $11 million in bank withdrawals by investigated businessman

A former tax auditor testified in the "cuadernos de las coimas" (notebooks of bribes) trial, recognizing bank withdrawal records for over $11 million made by a businessman implicated in the case. Miguel Marcelino Aznar, president of Decavial, one of the companies investigated for alleged bribery in public works contracts, is accused of playing a key role in collecting payments.

Ana Cecilia Palacio, the auditor who testified, stated that bank records showed Aznar withdrew the substantial sum in cash between 2009 and 2011. "It appears this Mr. Aznar is the one who withdrew the dollars, according to the receipts provided by the bank," Palacio told the court. She confirmed working on these documents in 2018 as an inspector for AFIP (Argentina's Federal Administration of Public Revenue).

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It appears this Mr. Aznar is the one who withdrew the dollars, according to the receipts provided by the bank.

During his own testimony as a cooperating witness, Aznar admitted to paying $25,000 monthly in bribes between 2003 and 2007 to secure business and avoid penalties. The prosecution and a cooperating defendant have identified Aznar as a central figure in collecting bribes within the highway concession sector. Palacio's report, presented to the court, detailed that Aznar's cash withdrawals for U.S. dollar purchases totaled $11,685,000 during the specified period.

Palacio indicated that while they could trace the funds to Aznar's cash withdrawals, the subsequent use of the money remains unclear, a sentiment echoed by other colleagues in previous hearings. The current phase of the trial involves AFIP employees reviewing operations of companies investigated for alleged corruption between 2003 and 2015. Aznar's company, Decavial, was awarded 42 public works projects totaling nearly 4 billion pesos during that time, many through direct awarding and others via joint ventures.

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We got as far as the person who withdrew it. What was done with those funds afterwards...