Jun.16, 2010

A US judge has set the date for the trial of 15 persons accused of money-laundering.

Venezuela's interest in the trial is owing to the fact that many are Venezuelan and the conspiracy involved speculating on Venezuela's parallel currency market. The money is believed to have proceeded from narco-trafficking activities.

Judge Joan Lenard has fixed the date for January 3, 2011 and said the delay in getting the trial set up is because of the very complex nature of the charges. Defense lawyers have plenty of time to prepare the case.

The accused are: Herman Rafael Solorzano Caguaripano and son, Herman Alejandro Solorzano Rincon, Georges Toutounji, Fortunato Farache, Douglas Enrique Sanchez Soto, Edgar Hadad Azraca, Alba Villalobos Vergel, Alfredo Ramon Soto Diaz, Miguel Jose Perez Rivero, Luis Enrique Homez Garcia, Henry Eduardo Bilbao Movilla, Rafael Polanco, Antoine Jean Melhem, Johan Alberto Rincon Medina, Nercido Sosa Medina (Dominican Republic) and Luis Rafael Diaz Plaza (Puerto Rico).

The majority of the accused refused the right to a quick trial given the amount of documentation and evidence to be used in the trial.

The police said the accused transported cash supposedly from drug sales in Puerto Rico and New York to Miami where the money was placed in banks or negotiated with intermediaries in Venezuela's parallel currency market.

The Venezuelan government is believed to have met with US authorities to discuss the case and start its own investigation.

The government believes that the narco-trafficking and money-laundering rings tampered with currency rates in the parallel market that had a negative effect on the economy by hiking inflation.