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Anulan el juicio oral contra Jaime en una causa por recibir dįdivas

 El ex secretario de Transporte Ricardo Jaime tiene allanado el camino para sacarse de encima un problema judicial. Es que un tribunal de casación anuló la citación a juicio oral en una causa en la que está acusado de volar gratis en aviones privados pagados por empresarios a los que debía controlar.

Al declarar nula esa resolución de citación a juicio -que interrumpía la posibilidad de que la causa prescribiera - se abrieron las puertas para que la defensa de Jaime plantee que el caso caduque por el paso del tiempo, pues la pena máxima para el delito de recepción de dádivas es de dos años de prisión. Esto beneficiaría no sólo a Jaime, sino también a Claudio Cirigliano, otro de los acusados, que era quien le pagaba los vuelos. Sin embargo, la fiscalía podría argumentar que la condición de ex funcionario de Jaime y la comisión de nuevos delitos por parte del acusado podrían volver a interrumpir la prescripción, con lo que la causa aún tiene algunas chances de sobrevivir.

Ésta es la tercera buena noticia judicial que recibe Jaime en 15 días:. En la primera de ellas, anularon su orden de captura y lo eximieron de prisión. Y en la segunda, los jueces del Tribunal Oral Federal N° 2 de Córdoba aplazaron sin fecha cierta el juicio que debía enfrentar a partir de ayer por intentar robar pruebas durante un allanamiento realizado en la causa que se le sigue por enriquecimiento ilícito. Los camaristas cordobeses dijeron que analizarán el pedido que hizo Jaime para declarar nulo ese juicio.

Jaime, quien fue secretario de Transporte entre 2003 y 2009 y renunció tras la derrota electoral del kirchnerismo en las elecciones legislativas de ese año, enfrenta más de 20 causas judiciales. Entre ellas, está procesado por su responsabilidad en la tragedia ferroviaria de Once, y está por ir a juicio en otra causa por recibir dádivas, pues empresarios de la Terminal de Ómnibus de Retiro pagaban el alquiler del piso que ocupaba mientras vivió en Buenos Aires.

La otra causa cuyo juicio estaba por comenzar es la que ayer quedó herida de muerte. En esa causa, entre 2006 y julio de 2009 Jaime realizó diversos vuelos privados, sin vinculación con viajes oficiales por su cargo como secretario de Transporte, que fueron pagados por Cirigliano, entre otros empresarios a los que debía controlar.

El juez federal Claudio Bonadio terminó la investigación el 29 de junio de 2011 y elevó el caso a juicio. Por tratarse de un delito correccional federal, con una pena menor, el juicio no estaría a cargo de un tribunal oral integrado por tres jueces, sino de un juez federal.

Fue sorteado el juez Julián Ercolini, quien fue recusado por los abogados de Jaime, pues se trata del mismo magistrado que investiga la otra causa de recepción de dádivas por los alquileres del departamento que ocupaba Jaime.

Ercolini rechazó la recusación, pero la defensa de Jaime apeló ante la Cámara de Casación.

Ercolini, urgido por el paso del tiempo antes de que la causa prescribiera, dispuso el 22 de octubre de 2012 la citación a juicio. Se trata de un trámite procesal donde los acusados y el fiscal tienen diez días para examinar las actuaciones, los documentos y las cosas secuestradas, ofrecer pruebas, como testigos o peritos, y proponer la realización de pruebas adicionales, si es que son necesarias. Este trámite interrumpe la prescripción.

Pero la defensa de Jaime entendió que Ercolini, recusado y pendiente de que la Cámara de Casación lo confirme o no, pudo haber citado a juicio, por lo que pidió la nulidad de esa medida. Los jueces de la Casación Mariano Borinsky y Gustavo Hornos le dieron la razón, por más que rechazaron la recusación de Ercolini. Dijeron que la citación a juicio fue posterior a que los camaristas pidieran el expediente para analizar la recusación.

Y agregaron que la citación a juicio fue virtual, pues los acusados no podían tener en sus manos el expediente para ofrecer pruebas, pues estaba en la Cámara de Casación. Además, dijeron que el juez estaba cuestionado cuando dispuso la medida.

En disidencia, el juez Juan Carlos Geminiani respaldó la actuación de Ercolini. Sostuvo que ante una recusación el Código Procesal manda al juez seguir entendiendo en la causa, a pesar de haber sido cuestionado. Dice que "debe seguir la investigación aun durante el trámite del incidente" de recusación. Es más: "Está obligado a ello y constituye una obligación del Estado".

Las causas abiertas del ex funcionario

Tiene dos juicios abiertos, una investigación por enriquecimiento y acusaciones por corrupción

Juicio inminente

Quedaron en pie, elevadas a juicio, dos causas contra Jaime: en una se lo investiga porque empresarios de Transporte le pagaban el alquiler y la otra es por su responsabilidad en la tragedia ferroviaria de Once

Enriquecimiento

Es el caso más investigado y en el que la Justicia avanzó hasta pedirle a Jaime que justifique bienes por 6 millones de pesos y la compra de un lujoso yate que está valuado en un millón de dólares

En investigación

Jaime enfrenta otra decena de causas por corrupción: una por pago indebido de 2,5 millones de pesos al Belgrano Cargas, otras por compra de aviones y otras por la compra de vagones de trenes y del subte

Del editor: qué significa

En dos semanas Jaime pasó de estar prófugo a beneficiarse de una serie de decisiones judiciales favorables. Todavía mantiene sus influencias. News News News News News News News News News News News News News News News News News News News News News News News News News News News News News News News News

La flotta privata di Silvio Berlusconi si regala un nuovo jet da 14 milioni

Nuovo acquisto per la flotta privata di Silvio Berlusconi: un Hawker 4000. Un nuovo jet privato dal valore di 14 milioni di euro che il Cavaliere si è regalato qualche mese fa. Non che sia stato il leader del Pdl a pagare direttamente per quest'ultimo acquisto, visto che la somma è stata versata in diversi pagamenti da Argo Finanziaria, una holding che fa capo al Gruppo Gavio, secondo concessionario di Autostrade.

Come funziona? Il meccanismo attraverso il quale Silvio Berlusconi è riuscito a mettere le mani sull'Hawker 4000 che, a quanto pare, desiderava addirittura dal settembre 2010 è abbastanza complesso (ma assolutamente legale): nel 2010 Alba servizi aerotrasporti (società parte del gruppo Fininvest) ha firmato un contratto di "associazione in partecipazione" con Argo finanziaria. Un contratto che prevede che Argo possa partecipare al business che la flotta del Cavaliere genera. In cambio, però, il gruppo Gavio, che fa capo a Argo, ha dovuto fornire i 14 milioni di euro per il pagamento del nuovo jet.

E così gli aerei privati di Silvio Berlusconi salgono a 4, per un valore complessivo stimato in 41 milioni di euro. Oltre all'Hawker 4000 ci sono infatti un Gulfstream V I-Deas, un Hawker 750 e un Hawker 800. Anche se quest'ultimo è in vendita da un po' di tempo alla modica cifra di 2,3 milioni di euro. Ma cosa se ne fa il Cavaliere di tutti questi aerei? Li usa per gli spostamenti, suoi e dei suoi figli. Oltre che dei manager di Mondadori, Fininvest, Mediolanum e Milan (Mediaset, stranamente, non utilizza più quei jet dall'anno scorso).
Il che non significa che Berlusconi regali voli ai dirigenti che non siano parte della sua progenie. Anzi, è proprio per questo che la flotta di Berlusconi fa parte di Alba servizi aerotrasporti: Mondadori e le altre aziende di Berlusconi pagano per sfruttare gli aerei... di Berlusconi. Nonostante questo Alba è andata in rosso di 6,5 milioni di euro nel 2012. Perdite ripianate, ovviamente, da Berlusconi. news news news news news news news news news news news news news news news news news news news

North and South Korea to resume talks on Kaesong industrial zone

 After lengthy negotiations, North and South Korean officials Friday agreed to restart talks today in the Korean War truce village of Panmunjom concerning the future of the Kaesong industrial zone.

The offer of fresh talks was made by South Korea Thursday, just one day after North Korea had restored communications with Seoul via the hotline between the two Koreas Wednesday, reports India Today.

The Kaesong Industrial Complex is located just over the border from South Korea in North Korean territory. Until the complex was closed by North Korea in April, it was used by approximately 123 South Korean businesses providing a source of much needed foreign exchange for North Korea. It also provided employment for 53,000 North Koreans who were ordered by their government not to report for work back in April. The closure was one of a number of maneuvers and threats made by North Korea while South Korea and the United States were conducting large-scale military exercises.

According to DailyNK, the planned talks have but one agenda item — the future of the Kaesong complex. It reports that the new talks do not necessarily represent a change in North Korea’s attitude, speculating that the North may simply be throwing Kaesong into the negotiating mix as a lever to gain influence, much as it has regularly attempted to do with its nuclear program.

South Korea is likely to seek assurances that there will be no repetition of North Korea’s April shutdown of Kaesong. The closure has meant disruption of production for the many South Korean companies that operated out of Kaesong and has had financial implications for the South. Many firms that operated out of Kaesong have submitted insurance claims to cover losses arising out of the closure whilst there is no guarantee that all the firms that formerly operated from the North Korean facility will be in a position to absorb the financial dislocation caused by the April shutdown.

At today’s talks, South Korea will be represented by Suh Ho, head of the Unification Ministry's exchange and cooperation bureau, as chief delegate. Sina English reports Pyongyang has sent Park Chol-su, vice director of the General Bureau of the Central Special Zone Development Guidance, as its chief negotiator.

Before his departure for the talks in Panmunjom, Ho is reported by Die Welt as saying, "We will focus on the agenda and try to work on building confidence and cooperation starting with small issues and try our best to channel that to bigger confidence and cooperation."

The talks scheduled for today come after a false start last month when North Korea withdrew from negotiations claiming South Korean delegates were not of sufficient stature and were an insult to the North. At the time, North Korea had attempted to raise the bar by demanding high-level talks with the United States, a demand that Washington ignored.

It is likely that continued pressure from North Korea’s principal ally, China, has played a part in North Korea’s decision to return to the negotiating table. China is alarmed by the North’s continuing nuclear program, so much so that the Beijing government has agreed to support tough sanctions against the regime of King Jong Un, North Korea’s leader.

While South Korea has always left the door open for talks, South Korean President Park Geun-hye has taken a tough stance with the North since she took office Feb. 25, 2013. While she has pledged to engage in dialogue with the North and attempt to build confidence between the two Koreas, equally she has made it clear she won’t submit to unreasonable demands from Pyongyang or go down the path of making concessions that do not achieve any real progress.

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The US relationship with the Egyptian armed forces

 While the army took power from a democratically elected president and arrested him and others, the resulting transfer of power will not be called a coup by most Western governments, particularly the US.

The reason the coup cannot be called a coup is that the US government cannot provide aid to a government established through a coup: The United States is barred under the 2012 Consolidated Appropriations Act from spending money for any "assistance to the government of any country whose duly elected head of government is deposed by military coup or decree, or a coup d'etat or decree that is supported by the military."

While the Obama administration previously supported deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi as a democratically elected leader, they quickly began to change course when Morsi refused to bow to demands of protesters. The US stepped up pressure on him to heed the mass protests but stopped short of saying he should step down. Morsi failed to respond appropriately as far as the US was concerned.

The army coup will probably enable the US to further influence the development of Egypt. Morsi favored the free market and in spite of opposition even within his own party had been pursuing loans with the IMF. The loans included provisions such as moving against subsidies that had very negative impacts on many Egyptians. This helped increase disapproval with Morsi.

Now the army has taken power and will put in place a transition government with completely unelected figures, many of them technocrats. This government will continue to impose reforms that will please foreign investors. The US will have increasing leverage over what happens because the Egyptian army is financed, equipped and mostly trained by the US.

Probably much of the Western press will fall in line with the view that the coup should not be described as a coup. The Associated Press is already doing so: "The Associated Press is not characterizing the overthrow as a 'coup,' using purely descriptive terms like 'the overthrow of Morsi by the military.'"

Reuters summarized a senior Muslim Brotherhood official as saying "he expects the High Committee for Elections to meet within hours to consider annulling the 2012 presidential election." This move would be another help in ensuring that the coup is no longer a coup.

The Egyptian army is the main leverage the US uses to influence policy in Egypt during the Mubarak regime, the transition government, the Morsi regime, and whatever happens now.

Not only does the US contribute huge sums to the Egyptian armed forces, it also trains them. Defense chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is an alumnus of the US Army War College in Pennsylvania. The heads of the air force and navy also have done tours of the US. More than 500 Egyptian military officers train in US graduate schools every year. So close is the relationship that there is even a special guesthouse on T Street in Washington where visiting military officers stay when in the capital.

Obama asked Congress for $1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt for 2014. Egypt receives more military aid from the US than any other country except Israel.

The Congressional Research Service says, "Although there are no verifiable figures on total Egyptian military spending, it is estimated that US military aid covers as much as 80 percent of the Defense Ministry's weapons procurement costs."

The Egyptian army is also much involved in the Egyptian economy. While the figure is probably too large, some estimate that up to 40 percent of the Egyptian economy is controlled by the Egyptian army. The army thus wants to ensure that relations between global financial capital and its institutions such as the IMF are good and also with the global military-industrial complex.

The US is not likely to cut off such a close ally as the Egyptian army from access to the coffers of the US taxpayer. Therefore, there has been no coup. As the appended video shows, US influence over Egypt through the military has been ongoing for decades.

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Rojer is mixed doubles final miss

Jean-Julien Rojer in the semifinals of the mixed doubles at Wimbledon disabled. Together with the Russian Vera Dushevina Antillean Dutchman was no match for the first not parked duo Bruno Soares and Lisa Raymond. The Brazilian and the U.S. won twice with 6-4.

Jiske Griffioen and van Koot Aniek reached the final of the women's wheelchair doubles. The first-place Dutch women defeated Dutch-German duo Sabine Ellerbrock and Sharon Walraven 6-3, 6-2.

Marjolein Buis and British Lucy Shuker were taken by surprise in the other semifinal. The second-seeded duo went hard down against the Japanese Yui Kamiji and British Jordanne Whiley: 1-6, 2-6.

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