José Ortíz did not want to answer questions about washing

José Ortiz, president of the Tabacalera del Este SA (Tabesa), refused to participate in the call of the Bicameral Commission of Investigation on money laundering (CBI). In his place, he sent his lawyer Pedro Ovelar.

This generated discomfort in the legislators who announced that they will summon Ortiz again for next Tuesday and that if he refuses to participate again, they will use legitimate resources to summon him by force if necessary.

After the threats, the businessman finally decided to go to the call. During the meeting, he had to answer queries related to the production and marketing of tobacco.

“This is not about a trial or an indictment. It’s just a request for information. on issues related to tobacco production and marketing. Cigarette smuggling. That’s the feature. The argument that this is a trial and that they should have all the documentation does not correspond. If any documents were required they would be requested. It’s just about informing and listening to their version,” said Querey after learning that Ortiz was not going to attend.

During the meeting, the tobacco businessman stated that he thought it was impertinent to answer questions when they are not aware of official documents that refer to them.

“We do not know where the documentation comes from, by virtue of the recommendations of my lawyer Pedro Ovelar, I refuse to testify,” he said.

GALEANO

Erico Galeano, national deputy for “Honor Colorado” (Chartism), was also to appear before the CBI. However, he announced that he would not attend because of a picture of Covid-19.

The announcement was made by his bench partner and also a member of the CBI, Basilio “Bachi” Núñez. This situation was also questioned by Jorge Querey, national senator for the Guasu Front and president of said commission.