Martha Colmenares

Kenneth Rijock, Financial Crime Consultant, for World-Check, writes: An authoritative Italian source has revealed that Walter Alexander del Nogal, the reputed leader of the criminal organisation allegedly involved in the Antonini money laundering scandal, has been quietly rearrested by Italian law enforcement agents. Del Nogal, who was in custody on pending charges of narcotics… Martha Colmenares. Read more.

Financial Crime Consultant, for World-Check
Major figure in Antonini scandal rearrested in Italy

29 January 2008
An authoritative Italian source has revealed that Walter Alexander del Nogal, the reputed leader of the criminal organisation allegedly involved in the Antonini money laundering scandal, has been quietly rearrested by Italian law enforcement agents. Del Nogal, who was in custody on pending charges of narcotics trafficking with the Sicilian Mafia, was released last week by a magistrate under questionable circumstances, in violation of both Italian and international law, was mysteriously due to be summarily deported, notwithstanding that he is wanted in Switzerland for escape from prison, and also has a reported detainer lodged by the United States. he has now been taken back into custody. The order for his rearrest reportedly came directly from the senior judge in that court.

Was Del Nogal’s release due, in part, to the huge global public and private outcry following his release from prison? The issues involved are serious:

* Allegations continue to fly that there were private meetings in Caracas between Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez, and senior Italian government officials, following which del Nogal was curiously released, even though he was originally arrested upon the orders of a magistrate investigating Mafia crime in Italy.

* After his initial release, del Nogal contacted Venezuelan media, and alleged that his arrest was politically motivated, that no evidence existed against him, and that he would soon be back in Venezuela in person. He is alleged to have been the supervisor of a money laundering operation, involving Guido Antonini Wilson, amongst others, some of whom are under arrest in Miami upon related charges, that reportedly moved cash into Argentina for the Kirschner presidential election campaign.

* Media sources believed to be under the control of the government of Venezuela have sought to disassociate venezuela’s leaders with del Nogal since his initial arrest, notwithstanding that he is a senior adviser to DISIP, Venezuela’s intelligence and security police. In addition, articles maligning this author have been published, claiming that our news stories, involving the Antonini defendants and del Nogal, are untrue and politically motivated. Wild accusations have surfaced in Venezuela, accusing Venezuelans in exile who are opposed to the Chavez regime of paying millions of Euros to secure del Nogal’s release. we have made extensive enquiries on this point, and there is absolutely no factual basis for this scandalous disinformation, which comes from pro-government media,* and is intended to discredit objective reporting of the case.

* Since del Nogal was taken into custody in the possession of a bogus passport, his abruptly announced deportation was another suspicious circumstance, for a legitimate travel document would certainly be required for a lawful deportation of a national whose country of citizenship is known.

* Was del Nogal released through unofficial diplomatic pressure at the highest level, and were members of the Italian government’s Chamber of Deputies involved? Visits to Venezuela by high-level Italian left-wing and Communist Deputies on or before the date and time of his release appear to bear out the rumours and statements. But which official actually agreed to release him, in contravention of Italian law, and in spite of the Swiss warrant for his arrest and extradition and did he himself not commit a crime?

Will del Nogal be turned over to American authorities, and will he ultimately play a central role as a witness in the Antonini Miami Federal case, which is scheduled for trial in March? Will he be interrogated, and will we learn about the Argentinian conspirators in the money laundering scandal? These questions and more remain unanswered, but World-Check will be watching.

*****
Sobre Kenneth Rijock
“En la Argentina se deberían endurecer las leyes antilavado”
El ex convicto y ahora consultor Kenneth Rijock dijo que deben endurecerse las penas. Contó cómo se cometen los delitos y mostró las falencias de Argentina.
Luego de reunirse con los titulares de organismos vinculados con la investigación y lucha contra el lavado de dinero, Kenneth Rijock, financial crime consultant de Word Check -empresa proveedora de herramientas informáticas e investigaciones antilavado-, develó a infobaeprofesional.com los secretos del lavado de activos.

Rijock, un ex blanqueador de dinero que estuvo preso por esa actividad, advirtió que la Argentina debe poner mano dura para combatir este flagelo.

En este marco, indicó que nuestro país ya no puede desconocer la importancia del lavado de activos, las implicancias para las entidades financieras, cómo encuentra acogida en las inversiones inmobiliarias o cuáles son las debilidades del sistema para el cual dónde se admite el uso de efectivo es donde ponen la lupa los lavadores de dinero.

Mr. Rijock, age 59, is a Financial Crime Consultant based in Miami.

He is believed to be the only former banking attorney-turned career money launderer who actively consults with law enforcement and the financial community.

He has more than 25 year’s experience in the field of money laundering, as a practising laundryman, financial institution compliance consultant, and trainer/lecturer to law enforcement and the intelligence services of both the United States and Canada.

After serving as a banking lawyer in an international law firm, he spent the decade of the 1980s as a money launderer and advisor to narcotics trafficking organisations operating in North and South America.

He has extensive experience in money laundering tactics and tradecraft.

Whilst serving a federal prison sentence for racketeering and money laundering, he assisted with the first joint Swiss-American money laundering investigation of bankers and lawyers, and which resulted in a major seizure of the proceeds of crime.

Since 1992, Mr. Rijock has provided extensive professional anti-money laundering services, including:

* Testifying three times, in 1999 and 2000, before committees of the United States Congress in favour of anti-money legislation that was later included in the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001.
* Training undercover agents for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for field duty in Canada.
* Lecturing before most of the major law enforcement and intelligence services in North America, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Criminal Intelligence Service Canada, Federal Aviation Administration, California Bureau of Investigation, as well as in the financial community.
* Acting as a money launderer in an undercover role on behalf of law enforcement in Florida, and on behalf of network television in the tax havens of the Caribbean.
* Acting as an expert witness and analyst in money laundering matters in US District Court in California.
* Providing technical assistance to the US Congress Office of Technology Assessment in its investigation of the use of artificial intelligence in money laundering investigations.
* Acting as consultant in money laundering tactics for a major Hollywood motion picture studio.
* Writing financial crime analysis articles for such publications as Money Laundering Alert and Complinet.
* Performing investigative, analysis and related services for America’s major private investigative firms and government contractors.
* Lecturing on such topics as the money laundering aspects of aviation & maritime smuggling, Russian organised crime money laundering, and terrorist financing in Latin America.
* Providing intelligence and data on money laundering activities from Latin America and the Caribbean to governmental clients.

Mr. Rijock is a veteran of the conflict in Vietnam and Cambodia, and holds the Combat Infantryman’s B