José López scandal
| Date | June 14, 2016 |
|---|---|
| Location | Our Lady of Fátima convent at the General Rodríguez Partido, Argentina |
| Participants | José López |
| Outcome | Detention and trial of José López |
José Francisco López was a low-profile Argentine politician, who worked at the Ministry of Federal Planning, Public Investment and Services under minister Julio de Vido, during the presidencies of Néstor and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. He was detained in 2016 in controversial circumstances, while he was trying to hide bags with millions of dollars inside a convent.[1][2][3]
The event
José López drived to a convent for Our Lady of Fátima at the General Rodríguez Partido, and started to throw bags over its fence during the night, and then climb over it. A neighbour noticed that and called the police, fearing for the safety of the three eldery nuns that live there.[3] According to security tapes retrieved afterwards, López took his rifle and the bags to the door of the convent, left them there, and returned to the fence to retrieve more bags, while the nuns took the bags inside.[4]
The police arrived in time at 4:00 AM, and detained him. Initially, he was detained for the possesion of a .22 caliber rifle. The police then found the bags: they contained seven millions of plastic-wrapped dollars, euros, yens and other currency bills, as well as some luxury watches. The police also found more money still at the trunk of the car, and in the monastery kitchen. According to Security Minister Cristian Ritondo, López may have tried to bribe the police, to no avail.[1] The detention was then changed to money laundering charges.[2]
The subsequent investigation suggests that López' plan, in case he could successfully leave the money at the convent, would be to go to the San Fernando Airport and escape in a private plane, which was ready to depart. The plane was usually used by the sons of Lázaro Báez, also detained by cases of corruption.[5] A detailed investigation of the convent revealed three hidden vaults, discovered by police dogs. The main one has a size of 3m x 2m x 1.4m, and may have contained 480 millions of dollars. The nouns said that it was intended to house the remains of the elder mother Alba.[6]
Judicial case
The López case is headed by judge Daniel Rafecas. Although the court psychologists declared him fit to testify, he tried to be declared incompetent. His lawyer Fernanda Herrera, who is also a cumbia singer, claimed that he would be delirious and suffering hallucinations.[3]
López was also indicted in a case that involves the former governor Eduardo Fellner and the social activist Milagro Sala, suspected of stealing money destined to public works.[7] He was taken to Jujuy to be formally notified of the denounce and use his right to defense, but he refused to make any comments.[8]
Although the dollars were plastic-wrapped in a way that only the Central Bank of Argentina (BCRA) is authorized to use, the BCRA was unable to identify the money and locate its source. It was pointed that the BCRA only keeps tracks of the official money movements. The confiscated money is kept in a vault at the BCRA, for the duration of the case. If López is found guilty, the money would return to the state; otherwise, it would be returned to López.[9]
The nun Alba Martínez, who led the monastery, was declared incompetent by the judge. Aged 95, she suffers cognitive impairment and moderate dementia, and may not be able to answer questions with veracity. The prosecutor Federico Delgado will not appeal the ruling.[10] Rafecas also declared the nun Inés Aparicio (who appears in the security tapes entering the bags to the convent) to be innocent, as she claimed that she thought that the bags contained food for welfare purposes. Prosecutors Delgado and Moldes do not trust her, and asked for her indictment.[11]
References
- 1 2 "Argentina ex-official arrested over cash bags at monastery". The Telegraph. June 15, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
- 1 2 "Argentina ex-minister arrested over cash bags at monastery". BBC. June 15, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
- 1 2 3 Uki Goñi (June 17, 2016). "Argentina gripped by mystery: the ex-minister, a convent and bundles of cash". The Guardian. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
- ↑ "Paso a paso: cómo fue la detención de José López en General Rodríguez" [Step by step: how was the detention of José López at General Rodríguez] (in Spanish). La Nación. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
- ↑ "Investigan si José López quiso huir en una avioneta vinculada a Lázaro Báez" [They investigate if José López tried to escape in a plane linked to Lázaro Báez] (in Spanish). La Nación. August 9, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
- ↑ Jesús Cornejo (June 21, 2016). "Encontraron tres bóvedas en la capilla del monasterio donde detuvieron a José López" [They found three vaults at the chapel of the convent where José López was detained] (in Spanish). La Nación. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
- ↑ "Citan en Jujuy a José López: lo acusan de desviar fondos junto a Milagro Sala" [They charge José López in Jujuy: he's accused of redirecting money with Milagro Sala] (in Spanish). La Nación. September 28, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
- ↑ Rosario Agostini (October 6, 2016). "En un megaoperativo, López viajó a Jujuy, pero no declaró" [In a megaoperative, López was taken to Jujuy, but did not talk] (in Spanish). La Nación. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
- ↑ Maia Jastreblansky (August 20, 2016). "Caso López: no pudieron establecer el origen del dinero y lo trasladaron al BCRA" [López case: they could not establish the origin of the money and it was taken to the BCRA] (in Spanish). La Nación. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
- ↑ "Caso José López: declaran inimputable a la madre Alba" [José López case: they declared mother Alba to be incompetent] (in Spanish). La Nación. October 7, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
- ↑ "Piden procesar a la monja que ayudó a José López" [They ask for the indictment of the nun that helped José López] (in Spanish). La Nación. October 18, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2016.