Macri official tied to offshore US$1.2 million
EL PAÍS PROBE NAMES SUB-SECRETARY VALENTÍN DÍAZ GILLIGAN
Ahigh-
ranking official in President Mauricio Macri’s national government kept US$1.2 million in an Andorran bank account, media reports suggested yesterday.
The man in question, presidential Sub-Secretary General Valentín Díaz Gilligan, immediately played down the revelations, telling La Red radio on Friday: “I’m surprised about the attention surrounding something that had to do with my private activity, not my public activity, which began in December 2013.”
He claimed the money belonged to a friend and associate, Francisco Casal, and that his connection to the company whose name appears on the BancaPrivadad’Andorra(BPA) account in Andorra — which Spanish publication El País reported contained 980,000 euros — was completely above board.
“I was asked to come on as a director and adviser of a firm based in Great Britain, with absolutely all its papers in order. It is not an offshore company,” he insisted, referring to Line Action, a firm that represents football players.
“That company opened an account in an Andorran bank (where) there were many transactions that relate to their activities and especially to Francisco (Casal) who has represented football players for over 30 years,” he added.
Andorra renounced bank secrecy rules in 2016 but the measure approving automatic sharing of information on accounts held by nonresidents only came into effect in January 2018.
The Line Action account was opened in 2012 when Díaz Gilligan was an adviser for the City of Buenos Aires, El País reported. He kept that role until December 2014. The company was sold off in November, 2014,accordingtoaBPAdocument.
Díaz Gilligan said Friday that he parted ways with the firm not “because it was an activity incompatible with public office” but because “I felt I had reached the end” with that particular business endeavour.
The public servant played down the controversy. “It’s not the same to get rich off the State than to participate in a company that works in sports representation. These are two completely different worlds,” he concluded.
The Macri government is standing by Díaz Gilligan. However, the Anti-Corruption Office (OA) has confirmed it will investigate.