ONE of America’s most wanted used Irish investment funds to hide cash from a staggering $1.2 billion money laundering scheme.
The Irish Sun can reveal that the Criminal Assets Bureau suspect two separate payments of $12.5m were sent to Ireland in a scam run by fugitive and Venezuelan media tycoon Raul Gorrin Belisario, 56.
Investigators from CAB were contacted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under ‘Operation Money Flight’ last year.
Once established, officers from CAB then froze $10m in two accounts on suspicion they were obtained through the “proceeds of crime”.
Investigations are also continuing as part of ongoing efforts to establish where the other $15m was sent to.
As part of their money laundering case against Belisario, authorities in the US claim the millionaire’s asset manager Hugo Andres Ramalho Gois, from Portugal, had relationships with financial institutions in the UK, Ireland, Latvia and other European countries.
They also described him as a “professional money launderer”.
Although CAB’s proceeds of crime case was adjourned last year, it’s due to proceed later this year.
We also understand that Mr Gois – who also remains wanted by the US authorities – has supplied a detailed affidavit to CAB about the origins of the cash.
It’s not clear if he plans to attend the proceeds of crime hearing.
CAB has also identified a fund linked to Gois in Luxembourg and managed by an Irish firm.
‘GLOBAL INVESTIGATION’
One US investigator told us: “This is a global investigation and we are working with our partners around the world.
“We know that investment firms in Ireland were used by the conspirators and work is ongoing to recover funds.
“This is a complex investigation and everything goes back to Belisario.
“There are no borders when it comes to money laundering.”
16 OTHER ‘CONSPIRATORS’
According to US court documents, Belisario and 16 other “conspirators” bribed officials in Venezuela to secure the rights to buy oil with foreign loan contracts for $50m on two different occasions.
And when the contracts were purchased by the state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela company, they forked out an extraordinary $600m on both occasions.
Although Petroleos de Venezuela paid out $600m, the contracts were worth $50m on the open market.
Once obtained, the US authorities believe the cash was sent overseas to countries such as Ireland and also hidden in offshore accounts.
LUXURY LIFESTYLE
Cash from the scam was also used to pay for luxury yachts, motor vehicles, race horses and aircraft.
US authorities have accused the conspirators of “unlawfully enriching themselves” by “laundering the proceeds of a corrupt foreign transaction and bribery scheme.”
The scheme is alleged to have taken place between 2014 and 2018.
If the media mogul is convicted, he could face 20 years in prison.
