Colombian businessman Alvaro Pulido Vargas is due in a federal court in Florida on Tuesday, October 13, following his arrest on US money-laundering charges. Prosecutors allege that accounts in Antigua and Barbuda were used to transfer about US$3.13 million to South Florida.
The 62-year-old faces separate indictments issued in 2019 and 2021, according to the US Justice Department.
The 2021 case concerns contracts to supply food and medicine to Venezuela. Prosecutors allege the contracts were secured through bribes and prices were inflated to enrich those involved.
The indictment lists transfers of about US$2.5 million and US$630,000 from accounts in Antigua and Barbuda, but does not name the originating banks.
The 2019 case alleges that Pulido Vargas and Alex Saab used fraudulent import documents and bribed officials to obtain payments through Venezuela’s government-controlled currency exchange system.
Pulido Vargas is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Alvaro Pulido Vargas Due in US Court Today in Money-Laundering Cases Linked to Antigua.