Venzuela tried to fund argentine election?

Washington Post:

The United States on Wednesday said it had evidence that Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez's government tried to secretly funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars to the campaign of Argentina's new president.

In a criminal complaint, U.S. prosecutors accused four men arrested Wednesday in Miami -- three Venezuelans and a Uruguayan -- of involvement in a conspiracy to cover up an illegal campaign contribution on behalf of the Venezuelan government. The complaint offered the first evidence for an allegation often leveled against Chávez but never proved: that he uses his country's oil wealth to illegally meddle in the politics of his Latin American neighbors.

The allegations center on a Venezuelan businessman, Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson, who was detained in August at a Buenos Aires airport carrying nearly $800,000 in undeclared cash. He had arrived on a plane chartered by Argentina's state oil company.

The money, according to U.S. prosecutors, was destined for the campaign of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who was sworn in as Argentina's president Monday.

The four suspects are accused of having traveled to Florida, where Antonini owns a home, to pressure him to conceal the truth about the cash, according to court documents. Two of the men -- Carlos Kauffmann and Moisés Maionica -- allegedly told Antonini that Argentine and Venezuelan authorities would pursue him if he denied that the funds were his but that he would be protected if he remained quiet.

"Carlos Kauffmann advised Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson that the consequences of Antonini's future actions might put the life of Antonini's children at risk," said the criminal complaint, which was prepared by the FBI. Referring to Venezuela's state oil company, it said, "Moises Maionica advised Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson that PDVSA would pay for all the expenses and financial penalties that Antonini might incur as a result of the seizure of the $800,000."

...

The conduct described appears to be that of the mob rather than a legitimate government, but that is what the Chavez regime is looking like more and more. corruption is rampant and the drug thugs are using Venezuela as a conduit for distributing narcotics. Venezuela under Chavez is now a rogue regime.

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