The former Minister of Economy of the Aznar Government and managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Rodrigo Rato, announced this Friday that will appeal the sentence of 4 years and 9 months in prison that the Provincial Court of Madrid has imposed on him. He has been convicted of three crimes against the Public Treasury, money laundering and corruption between individuals in the context of the case regarding the alleged illicit increase of his assets.
After having read the ruling “carefully” and at the expense of reading all of the more than 1,200 pages of the ruling, Rato has spoken out. “I will defend my rights in the corresponding appeals before a ruling that seems unfair and lacking legal basis”he stated in a writing. “It is striking that it can be considered that I have committed any crime,” he said.
In the statement, the former minister reviews the court’s decision and discredits the fact that he considers that he has committed a crime against the Public Treasury in 2006, “exercise that was already prescribed in April 2015when this case began, which did not include this exercise, and even more prescribed in the 2021 indictment.”
“It seems significant to me to remember that in 2006 I was managing director of the International Monetary Fund and resident in Washington DC, as is widely known by public opinion and was documented during the hearing“, he added.
Regarding the second tax crime, which refers to the year 2013, for billing work through a professional company, Rato defends that said work “has been fully attested.” “With some regularity we know of cases of professional people, of all kinds, who bill their services through companies and who They are never criminally chargedwhich would make this case a unique one. Both the courts and the Tax Agency have been applying this doctrine repeatedly for years,” he noted.
“If there is no tax crime, there can be no money laundering”
Regarding the third tax crime, that relating to the fiscal year 2014, also for professional work billed through a company, the former minister highlights that in that fiscal year received “a market remuneration“Everything argued for the year 2013 is applicable for the year 2014,” he reiterated.
For his part, regarding the crime of money laundering, he maintains that it is “broadly prescribed” and highlights that its basis would be the tax crime that he denies having committed. “Yeah there is no tax crime, there can be no money laundering“, he pointed out.
Regarding the fifth crime of corruption between individuals, he emphasizes that the companies awarded the advertising contract have been acquitted. In his opinion, thus “it is attested that it was beneficial for the entity and in accordance with the law.” “It is striking that it can be considered that I have committed any crime“, he concluded.
#Rato #appeal #ruling #tax #fraud #money #laundering #corruption #unfair #lacking #legal #basis
