Suitcase-Plot Extradition Is Obstructed, Lawyer Says

Argentina's attempt to extradite a Florida businessman who will be a key witness at the Miami trial of a Venezuelan man over an election scandal cover-up has been thwarted by the U.S. government, the defendant's lawyer said.

``It appears that the government was stonewalling Argentina about its extradition request,'' Edward Shohat, an attorney for Franklin Duran, said at a hearing yesterday in federal court in Miami.

Duran is accused of conspiring to silence Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson, who was carrying $800,000 in a suitcase that was seized at an airport in Argentina. U.S. prosecutors say the money was intended for the campaign of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who was elected Argentina's president Oct. 28.

Shohat is seeking to force U.S. prosecutors to turn over any evidence that the U.S. government intervened on Antonini's behalf in the extradition request. U.S. prosecutors said they helped Antonini relocate from his home in Key Biscayne, Florida, and he has cooperated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation by secretly recording Duran and other defendants.

``No promises have been made and there has been no wink and no nod'' over the extradition request, Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Mulvihill said at the hearing yesterday. Argentine officials wanted Antonini to face smuggling and money-laundering charges, the newspaper Clarin reported in December.

Duran Trial

Duran, 40, faces a Sept. 2 trial in Miami on a charge of being an unregistered agent of Venezuela. He was arrested Dec. 11 with three other South American men who have pleaded guilty and said in court that Venezuela's intelligence agency, known as DISIP, played a central role in covering up the payment of the $800,000.

The Venezuelan attorney general's office said today that it issued an international arrest warrant for Antonini, who is wanted in that country for questioning in the cash scandal, according to a statement on the Venezuelan justice department's Web site.

Shohat yesterday asked the U.S. government to reveal whether the FBI investigated immigration fraud by Carlos Kauffmann, who pleaded guilty to conspiring to help the Venezuelan government cover up the election plot and is expected to testify against Duran. Shohat said he wanted to know if ``promises'' were made that neither Kauffman nor his wife would be charged for immigration fraud in exchange for his cooperation.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Garber didn't immediately rule on Shohat's requests.

The case is U.S. v. Moises Maionica, 07-cr-20999, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida (Miami).

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=adfwWJn0DLdU&refer=latin_america

Whatcha trying to do, get PP all riled up? She's convinced that all the guilty pleas in this case were forced out of the defendants.

In any regard, the government is not going to allow a key witness to be extradited less than one month before the trial, although I'm sure Duran's attorney would love for that to happen.

Regarding Kaufmann: if the judge determines that it's relevant to know what -- if any -- deals were made to secure his testimony, then it will be revealed during the discovery process. If the judge rules it's not relevant, it will probably lead to an appeal and consequently delay the trial, which would probably benefit Duran.

Don't have time to read this yet, will be back to check it out. Glad you caught it.