May.20, 2010
El Universal: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said that he would ask the US Government for information related to the 16 people charged with scheming in alleged money laundering from drug traffic through Venezuela's parallel exchange market.
"As soon as (Minister of Planning and Finance Jorge) Giordani ended yesterday (on Tuesday) the press conference, where he threw the pill of capital laundering, dollar laundering, a spokesman of the United States, of (US President Barack) Obama's Administration showed up to say that the US government has evidence and that they would take to court some people engaged in money laundering through the so-called Venezuelan swap market," Chavez said.
"What a coincidence! Few minutes later, he showed up, producing evidence. I am sure that they were aware of it long ago," he added.
Chavez noted that his government declared war to exchange-related offenses and reasserted his willingness to shut brokerage firms down.