Andorran bank: “Petroleum bribes from the Kirchners. Denied”

Abank in Andorra denied a request by former Neuquén province governor Jorge Sapag to open an account there in April 2008, labelling the money he allegedly wished to deposit as “petroleum bribes from the Kirchners,” reports said yesterday.

The investigation by Spanish newspaper El País revealed Banca Privada d’Andorra (BPA) documents showing that Sapag had tried to deposit US$5 million. Sapag had requested that former Natural Resources minister Guillermo Coco be listed as a beneficiary on the account, according to the investigation. The operation was rejected by the BPA itself because it classified Sapag as a “PEP,” a politically exposed person.

“The funds come from commissions and royalties that originate from negotiations related to renegotiated concessions which were regularly award to companies tied to petroleum exploration”, the bank said in internal documents. “Petroleum bribes from the Kirchners. Denied,” was the phrase used by BPA to reject the application.

Sapag denied the claims on Friday.