Claudio Bonadio - Fausta's Blog

May 17, 2016 By Fausta

Argentina: More charges against Cristina

Last Friday Federal Judge Claudio Bonadio brought charges against former president Cristina Fernandez, accusing her of ordering Argentina’s central bank to illegally trade derivatives, which cost the country $5.5 billion.

As you may recall, Bonadio had ordered a raid on the central bank last November as part of the investigation into a criminal complaint filed by Macri

against Mr. Vanoli and his board of directors for allegedly violating the bank’s charter by selling dollar futures contracts at below-market rates “to benefit third parties and causing grave damage to the bank’s assets.”

But those are not the only charges she’s facing,

Mrs. Kirchner has been named in two separate probes into corruption allegations. Last month, a federal prosecutor requested she be investigated as a suspect in a money-laundering probe allegedly involving a prominent government contractor and associate of Mrs. Kirchner. Federal Judge Sebastian Casanello has to clear that request, which could lead to formal charges.

More recently, in another case overseen by Mr. Bonadio, a prosecutor requested that Mrs. Kirchner be investigated for allegedly accepting bribes, a request that the judge would have to approve. Mrs. Kirchner said both probes are politically motivated and has denied wrongdoing connected to them.

We’ll be talking about this in today’s podcast live at 1pm Eastern and archived for your convenience.

July 22, 2015 By Fausta

Argentina: Judge in Cristina’s hotel case, “If I turn up suicided, look for the killer”

Cristina Fernandez’s son Maximo continues to be investigated:

Máximo Kirchner’s Offices Raided in Hotesur Corruption Case

Argentine federal judge Claudio Bonadio and prosecutor Carlos Stornelliordered a raid on the offices of Presidential son and La Cámpora leader, Máximo Kirchner, Monday, seeking accounting information as part of the ongoing Hotesur K-money laundering and corruption case.

. . .

The raid itself represented the execution of Judge Bonadio’s “procedural orders” seeking information about 35 separate companies with ties to the Kirchner family and its business interests, specifically including “banks and companies” associated with K-businessman Lázaro Báez – the number one recipient of public works contracts during the Kirchner administration. Báez is a business partner of President Kirchner, and the former administrator of her largest hotel, Alto Calafate.

Judge Bonadio was about to start reviewing the evidence retrieved during the raid, when he was removed from the case by two other judges.

As you may recall, peronistas were calling for Bonadio’s impeachment last year.

You can tell that Judge Bonadio’s under pressure that he’s come out saying, “Si aparezco suicidado, busquen al asesino; no es mi estilo“. If I turn up suicided, look for the killer; it’s not my style.

November 28, 2014 By Fausta

Argentina: Investigate Cristina, get impeached?

Argentine Probe Sparks Dispute Between Government, Judiciary
Judge Heading Investigation Into President’s Business Activities Faces Call for Impeachment

Last week, federal agents raided the office of the Kirchner family hotel company, Hotesur, as part of an investigation by Federal Judge Claudio Bonadio into allegations that the company hasn’t filed financial statements for years.

Investigators said that when they arrived at Hotesur’s registered headquarters in downtown Buenos Aires, they found abandoned office space.

Since the raid, the government has issued scathing attacks on the judicial system, saying Judge Bonadio is overreacting to a minor matter of missing paperwork.

In a message posted on the presidency’s official Twitter account, Mrs. Kirchner claimed Judge Bonadio owns a stake in a company whose paperwork isn’t up-to-date: “This is just like Hotesur. Will some judge now order a raid?”

Congresswoman Margarita Stolbizer filed a criminal complaint against Kirchner and Lázaro Báez, a longtime family friend and business partner of the Kirchner, amid allegations of money laundering.