Investigative Journalism Shines in Argentina: Team Wins Prestigious Award

Buenos Aires, Argentina - A Major Victory for Investigative Journalism

In a significant achievement for investigative journalism in Argentina, a team of journalists from La Nación, Infobae and Perfil has been awarded the Top Investigative Journalism FOPEA 2020 Award by the Argentine Journalism Forum (Foro de Periodismo Argentino) for their work on the FinCEN Files.

The Investigation: Exposing Financial Crime in Argentina

The team of journalists, consisting of Hugo Alconada Mon, Ricardo Brom, Sandra Crucianelli, Emilia Delfino, Mariel Fitz Patrick, Maia Jastreblansky, and Iván Ruiz, worked closely with colleagues in Spain, Switzerland, Uruguay, the United States, and Venezuela to uncover a complex web of financial crimes. Their investigation revealed suspicious money flows to and from Argentina linked to politicians, soccer players, and businesspeople.

The FinCEN Files: A Global Investigation

The FinCEN Files investigation was based on thousands of secret bank documents that revealed details behind more than $2 trillion in suspicious transactions flowing around the world. In Argentina, the team’s work exposed money flows involving unknown origins and tax havens flagged by banks in suspicious activity reports filed with the United States Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN.

Notable Findings: Uncovering Financial Crime

The team’s findings included:

• Exposing Argentine soccer star Javier Mascherano’s British Virgin Islands-registered company Alenda Investments Ltd., which was linked to over $1 million in transactions that raised suspicions of possible tax evasion.
• Revealing ties between lawyer Néstor Marcelo Ramos and controversial Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Ceballos Jiménez, who secretly routed millions of dollars from public housing contracts through offshore companies and bank accounts belonging to family members.

Praise for the Investigative Team

Award judges Diana Baccaro, Ítalo Pisani, and Giannina Segnini praised the team’s work, highlighting its “complex, sensible, collaborative, rigorous, and cross-border” nature. They recognized that the team went beyond simply reporting on the leaked documents to reveal the impact of financial crimes committed by those close to power in Argentina.

A Significant Achievement for Investigative Journalism

This award marks a significant achievement for investigative journalism in Argentina and serves as a testament to the importance of exposing financial crime and holding those responsible accountable.