After his acquittal, Echegaray will sue Prat-Gay …

The former head of the AFIP, Ricardo Echegaray, was acquitted today by the Court No. 4 in a case initiated by Alfonso Prat-Gay. The former finance minister of Cambiemos had sued him for inciting false statement, breach of secrecy and abuse of power and had asked for twelve years in prison.

Together with Echegaray, two former heads of the collection company, Pedro Roveda and Horacio Curien, were acquitted. Prosecutor Dafne Palopoli had requested a two-year suspended sentence and four years of challenge against Echegaray of three and a half years with Curian for false testimony and the acquittal of Roveda.

The origin of the case dates back to 2014, when Echegaray denounced Prat-Gay in criminal justice. According to the former minister, the head of the AFIP reportedly used confidential tax information. Prat-Gay was accused of joining an illicit association that had escaped tax through a Swiss bank account of the family of the deceased businesswoman Amalia Lacroze of Fortabat. The case was brought by Judge Claudio Bonadio, who sued Roveda and Curien for false testimony.

Echegaray then referred to an account on the HSBC private bank of Switzerland, owned by the businesswoman, after a former employee of that entity revealed a huge list of alleged fraudsters, who n & # 39; 39 would not have declared assets abroad in their respective countries. .

Prat Gay denied having any links with HSBC executives and claimed that he took over the former owner of Loma Negra, who conferred on him limited administrative authority to act on his behalf before HSBC Private Bank of Switzerland.

The foundations of the decision of Judges Guillermo Costabel, Maria Gabriela López Iñíguez and Daniel Obligado will be known on November 8th. "Part of the process of political persecution against me has ended," Echegaray said after leaving the court. "The persecution in this case was due to the offshore financial system headed by the former Minister of Economy Mauricio Macri," said the former official, who is also accused of concealing the businessman Lázaro Báez in a case of escape.

He pointed out that "the 68 million dollars detected (from Fortabat) could not be validated as declared in Geneva (Switzerland)" and stated that he was going to file a claim for damages against Prat-Gay .

"When there is evidence, such as the expertise that was done in this trial, it is proven that everything was armed. It has been possible to demonstrate that the denounced funds (more than 4000 million of different holders) have never been reported in AFIP, "he said.

The former Kirchner official also reminded that he would be heading the National General Audit as of December 2015 and that he could not assume this function. "They have achieved their political goal," he said.