AIDS Institute trial press 05/13/99

Kouri trial 05/13/99

Kouri defense intends to call Rossello, ex-politicians

Lawyer seeks to impeach testimony of star witness
By MARTY GERARD DELFIN
Of the STAR Staff

Gov. Rossello and former politicians could be called to testify in Yamil Kouri's defense to deny that they received campaign money from the San Juan AIDS Institute, the defense announced Wednesday. Lawyer Charles Daniels said he intended to call Rossello, Supreme Court Justice Baltasar Corrada del Rio and former San Juan Mayor Hector Luis Acevedo to impeach testimony by the governments star witness Angel Corcino Mauras. Kouri, former institute operations manager Jeanette Sotomayor and former institute property custodian Armando Borel are accused of embezzling $1.4 million in federal funds destined for AIDS patients. Corcino, the former comptroller, said that Kouri instructed him to help launder money for contributions to political candidates. Corrada was mayor of San Juan when the AIDS Institute was created in 1987. The only way he would stop from calling them is to stipulate with prosecutors that no political donations were made, Daniels said. "We're not trying to tarnish any office holder's reputation because we don't believe it," he said at a hearing. "The only reasons they're being subpoenaed is to show that the allegations are not true." U.S. District Court Judge Jose A, Fuste ordered both sides to file motions on the issue, including a possible stipulation agreed by both sides. Daniels, also said that he won't call San Juan Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Zaida Herndndez Torres, who was scheduled to testify today. Hernandez, former House speaker, was subpoenaed by the defense to testify about an alleged meeting at the New Progressive Party headquarters. At that meeting, according to Corcino, Rossello allegedly told former institute board member Luis Dubon Otero, who is also indicted, that his "group" was to raise $250,000 for the party in 1992. Corcino said that Kouri, who was also at the meeting, said the money was to come from the institute. In an interview, La Fortaleza Press Secretary Pedro Rosario Urdaz said that Rossello has not received any subpoena and would consult with his lawyers on whether to testify if one is issued. "This responds to the defense's trick to manipulate the jury," he said. I Meanwhile, federal prosecutors continued to rip Kouri's defense in the San Juan AIDS Institute trial Wednesday as his witnesses' testimony appeared to strengthen the government's case against him. As the defense again tried to establish that the Corcino family was responsible for the embezzlement at the institute, one witness reiterated what others have testified that it was Kourf who made the decisions at the entity. Under cross-examination by government prosecutors, accounting clerk Luis Delgado Ramos said that comptroller Angel Corcino Mauras would receive specific instructions from Kouri and co-defendant Sotomayor. Delgado described one incident where Sotomayor ordered him to take an envelope of documents to Corcino at the Normandie Hotel. "It was open and the only thing I was able to determine that they were computer printouts," he said. He delivered the envelope to Corcino who answered the door to one of the rooms. Delgado said he saw Kouri and two other individuals whom he didn't recognize. Asked to describe Kouri, the accounting clerk said he was a man of "great influence" who would "walk into the accounting office like a king to his kingdom." Delgado said Kouri would show up at Corcino's office without addressing the secretary or asking to be announced. Because it was the only time that Corcino would close his door, Delgado said that he didn't know what they spoke about. Delgado, who now works at the AIDS program for the city of San Juan, was the 12th witness to be called by the defense. Kouri's lawyer Daniels tried to establish that Delgado, who could see Corcino's office from his work station, never saw any large amounts of cash on the comptroller's desk as Corcino testified in one incident In March, Coreino told the jury that he had at least $50,000 in cash spread out on his desk ready to hand over to Kourl who told him the money was for the New Progressive Party. The money was collected through check laundering, he said. Delgado acknowledged that he never saw any cash, but also admitted that he wasn't keeping his eye on what was going on in Corcino's office. Delgado said that he used to go to Banco Popular to change checks drawn on the Advanced Community Health Service account to manager's checks on Corcino's instructions, but he didn't know what their purpose was. The government alleges that the manager checks were used in a complex money laundering scheme. The defense theorizes the scheme was devised by Corcino, his son, Julio Corcino de Choudens, and his brother, lawyer Julio Corcino Mauras. The defense also called Carlos Villafane, owner of Villa's Cafe, to establish that Julio Corcino Mauras would go to the restaurant regularly to cash ACHS checks. Villafane recognized some of the checks that were made out to different doctors such as Albert Voscoff, Itavar Cruz and Ernesto Guerrero, but had been cashed by the lawyer. The cafe owner, who also runs an off-track betting agency with his father, said he would only cash checks for known customers.

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