Investigation into AFA president over alleged diversion of millions to overseas accounts
Claudio Tapia, president of the Argentine Football Association, faces an investigation for alleged money laundering and corruption. Three US prosecutors are joining the inquiry into large transfers through an administrative company in Miami.
Investigation into AFA president over alleged diversion of millions to overseas accounts
Claudio Tapia, president of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), is being investigated for allegedly transferring millions of dollars to overseas accounts through a network of front men. The investigation now includes three prosecutors from the United States, according to German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
For months, raids have been carried out at the union's offices, officials have been summoned and travel restrictions imposed on senior figures. Tapia vehemently denies the accusations. However, since police removed files and computers from AFA offices, details have emerged that complicate the official's situation.
Under Tapia's leadership, the Argentine national team experienced its most successful period, winning two Copa América titles, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and the Finalissima against Italy. The official became a prominent figure in the country's social life, controlling advertising and television contracts related to the world champions and major clubs such as Boca Juniors and River Plate.
The three US prosecutors who joined the investigation specialise in financial crimes. One belongs to the banking integrity division and directs the corporate whistleblower programme of the Department of Justice. Another is an expert in asset laundering, whilst the third has experience in embezzlement cases in Florida.
The focus of the North American investigation falls on an AFA administrative company based in Miami, through whose accounts hundreds of millions of dollars passed. According to investigations by newspaper "La Nación", there is evidence that at least 57 million dollars were transferred to ten shell companies whose services cannot be justified in the analysed documentation.
The case takes on political connotations because Tapia maintains close ties with the Peronist governor of Buenos Aires province, Axel Kicillof, a possible rival of President Javier Milei in the upcoming elections. Milei is pushing a reform of Argentine football to attract foreign investment, a proposal that Tapia and the Peronists reject.
Despite the accusations, Tapia managed to travel to the United States to accompany the national team at the World Cup. Argentine justice had imposed severe travel restrictions on him due to flight risk. "I'm very happy to be here in Kansas accompanying our national team," he posted on social media upon his arrival.
Source: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung