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Representatives speaking on behalf of PartyGaming co-founder, Ruth Parasol, have flatly denied that Great Britain's 79th richest woman had any ownership in a plane used to transport US$800,000 in cash on behalf of Venezuelan state officials to Argentina.
A report surfaced on the website Mad Cow Morning News claiming Ms. Parasol owned the luxury Citation X jet that transported one Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson and the $800,000.
Absolutely false, a spokesperson for Parasol says.
The matter, dubbed as the "suitcase scandal", involved Wilson claiming to be acting on behalf of Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez. Mr. Chavez was planning to visit Argentina in August 2007 to refinance billions of United States dollars in Argentine debt through bond purchases and announce a natural gas deal.
Chávez arrived in Argentina on August 6, 2007, as part of a tour to sign oil deals with several South American countries. Antonini Wilson was in the signing ceremony between the presidents of Argentina and Venezuela that took place in the presidential palace, also known as the Casa Rosada. On August 8, the Argentine senate demanded a report on the incident. An Argentine judge later ordered the arrest of Antonini Wilson and he is facing charges for money laundering and contraband.
"The true position is that neither Ms. Parasol nor anyone associated with PartyGaming has ever had any connection with the aeroplane or its owners," expressed the representative for Parasol.
"Cheam Directors Limited, the company referred to in the Mad Cow Morning News report, sold the aircraft (in question) on March 30, 2007, more than four months before the events referred to in the articles."
The rep went on to insist that Ms. Parasol is a "pioneer of responsible gambling" and that the article appearing on the Mad Cow Morning News was a "defamation of character".
Gambling911.com at the time questioned this bizarre real life James Bond thriller of a story but received little in the way of any response until now.
PartyGaming made headlines earlier this week when another co-founder, Anarug Dikshit, lead guilty to a charge related to illegal online gambling and will pay a $300 million fine to US authorities.
Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
