HONDURAS-CRIME/BANKING Honduras seizes assets of conglomerate in money laundering case

Record ID: 134684

  • Title: HONDURAS-CRIME/BANKING Honduras seizes assets of conglomerate in money laundering case
  • Date: 15th October 2015
  • Summary: TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS (OCTOBER 12, 2015) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF BUILDING OWNED BY GRUPO CONTINENTAL VARIOUS OF SIGNS FOR BANCO CONTINENTAL LOGO VARIOUS OF BUILDINGS OWNED BY GRUPO CONTINENTAL, INCLUDING OF THE TIEMPO NEWSPAPER VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WAITING OUTSIDE BANCO CONTINENTAL VARIOUS OF TELLERS AT BANCO CONTINENTAL WITH PEOPLE BEING ATTENDED TO CLOSED SIGN AT BANK (SOUNDB
  • Embargoed: 30th October 2015 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Honduras
  • Country: Honduras
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA50FY2EUXPL8PY0C8IEPZKEBKM
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Honduran security forces seized 19 businesses and various properties belonging to the conglomerate Grupo Continental that U.S. investigators have accused of money laundering in the United States, the country's prosecutors said on Wednesday (October 14).
    Grupo Continental is run by prominent Honduran banker Jaime Rosenthal and his son Yani, who were charged in U.S. court with money laundering last week along with another relative who is the head of one of the Central American country's top soccer clubs.
    Officials seized a real estate business, a hotel, an automobile importer and a meatpacker, among others things, according to a statement from prosecutors.
    "With this property now in our possession, it passes to the (OABI) office just like much of the property already in the administration. Well, (it includes) furniture and companies and more that we will go into more detail about at the end of the day when we have more property in our possession," said Claudia Solorzano from OABI, the office for the administration of seized property.
    The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control said last week that it froze U.S. assets of the three Rosenthals and seven of their businesses, including Grupo Continental and its unit Banco Continental.
    Honduran banking regulator CNBS has announced it will liquidate Banco Continental, and on Wednesday (October 14) the regulator began to return money to more than 220,000 depositors.
    But customers waiting outside their banks were concerned for their money.
    "How is it possible that they continue to make a mockery of the people? That they continue to trick us, the banking and insurance commission is charged with supervising and controlling the bank and where is their response? Perhaps they are laundering the money, there is information that directly connects the government in this financial debacle," said bank customer, Juan Valazquez.
    Last week, the U.S. Treasury Department classified seven businesses linked to the Rosenthals, as "specially designated narcotics traffickers," which allows for the freezing of assets under U.S. control.
    The Rosenthal family has denied the charges facing them.
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