Overview
- At the Nov. 21–22 hearings, judges read Ernesto Clarens’ cooperating statement outlining how he converted pesos into dollars for funds collected from contractors tied to public works.
- Clarens said he used informal brokers and currency houses, sometimes linking through Banco Finansur’s money desk, and earned commissions for the conversions.
- He testified that deliveries were coordinated with Daniel Muñoz at the Hotel Panamericano or, for larger sums, at the Kirchners’ Juncal and Uruguay address.
- According to what Muñoz told him, the cash was stored in a vault at the Kirchners’ El Calafate residence and moved on official flights from Aeroparque to Santa Cruz.
- Clarens described weekly drops of about $300,000—roughly 10% of Vialidad payments—estimated handling about $30 million for José López, and he attributed orders to favor Cristóbal López and support GOTTI to instructions relayed from Cristina Kirchner; all claims remain before the court.