The US government’s star witness in a trial about an Argentine election scandal didn’t list his own address on a customs form when he was stopped at a Buenos Aires airport last year with a suitcase containing US$800,000.
The witness, businessman Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson, was questioned today by a defense attorney as to why he gave the Caracas address of his longtime associate, Franklin Duran, who’s accused of trying to silence Antonini about the origin and destination of the cash. US prosecutors say the Venezuelan government sent the money for the campaign of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who was elected president of Argentina on Oct. 28 last year.
Duran’s lawyer, Edward Shohat, tried to challenge Antonini’s credibility before a Miami jury by suggesting he lied when he was first stopped at customs, and that he later changed his story about the cash seizure in August last year that spurred the scandal.
“You with no compunction linked Franklin Duran to this scandal by putting his address on this document, correct?” Shohat asked during cross-examination in federal court.
Instead of writing his home address in Key Biscayne, Florida, Antonini listed the location of a former rental apartment of Duran’s in Venezuela’s capital, Shohat said.
“I don’t think so,” Antonini said.
Antonini earlier told jurors that although the suitcase didn’t belong to him, he signed an Argentine customs form claiming it did because he wanted to leave the Buenos Aires airport, where he was detained for more than five hours.
“You have not testified, at least I haven’t heard you say that you were told that if you didn’t sign, you couldn’t leave,” Shohat said today.
“Sir, they made it clear that I would be in trouble,” Antonini responded
“Who?” Shohat asked.
“The lady who came to fix the problem,” Antonini said, referring to an Argentine customs employee.
“What kind of trouble would you be in?” Shohat asked.
“I don’t know, sir,” Antonini said.
“But the document made clear that it was only an infraction, correct?” Shohat asked.
“Yes, sir,” Antonini said.
Antonini signed four copies of the form, a copy of which was shown to jurors, Shohat said.
After Antonini left Argentina and returned to his home in Florida, he began cooperating with the FBI, secretly recording conversations between Duran and other South American men. Those recordings make up the crux of the government’s case alleging that Duran and others conspired to silence Antonini. Duran is charged with acting as an unregistered agent of the Venezuelan government.
Three other men who were arrested with Duran on Dec. 11 have pleaded guilty and are cooperating against Duran.
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