U.S. Seeks to Focus Trial on Illicit Ties in Venezuela
By ALEXEI BARRIONUEVO
American prosecutors are seeking to introduce evidence in a federal trial that revolves around a suitcase filled with $800,000 in cash to show that the defendant, Franklin Durán, got rich through a string of illicit schemes involving Venezuelan officials that netted him and a partner more than $100 million.
The accusations of rampant corruption involving Mr. Durán, a Venezuelan businessman, which are laid out in court documents, could make the government of President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela a central focus of the trial. Opening statements are scheduled to begin here on Tuesday in United States District Court.
The case involves accusations that a group of Venezuelan businessmen tried to pressure Guido Antonini Wilson, a Venezuelan-American businessman who was caught with the suitcase in Buenos Aires in August 2007, to cover up the true purpose of the $800,000.
Prosecutors contend that the money was intended to be a campaign contribution from Mr. Chávez to Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who was running for president of Argentina and was elected two months later.
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