In the last six years, the Bandenia Group has been the subject of media attention in Europe due to its involvement in money laundering activities from drug trafficking. Recently, the Supreme Court of Spain confirmed the conviction against José Miguel Artiles, a prominent figure within the organization. However, what has gone unnoticed by many is the connection of Chilean businessman and founder of Grupo Patio Antonio Jalaff with this financial scandal.
Jalaff, known in Chile for his financial problems and the numerous civil cases against him, in addition to being a client of the controversial lawyer Luis Hermosilla, has been linked to Bandenia through a network of companies in the United Kingdom, Miami and Luxembourg. According to official British consignor records Ciper Chile, Jalaff was involved in 40 companies related to Bandenia, being a director in 35 of them and owner in the remaining five. These companies were established between July 2021 and July 2022, just when the Bandenia Group was already facing legal proceedings in Spain for money laundering.
The relationship between Jalaff and Bandenia becomes more complex when the structure of these societies is examined. According to data published by the aforementioned media, Jalaff participated in the creation of companies in the United Kingdom together with companies of the Bandenia Group, being president and CEO of one of them. Furthermore, it is revealed that some of these companies shared an address with the fraudulent bank.
Investigations show that Bandenia’s operations involved opening accounts in established banks and then moving funds to offshore accounts, using fictitious loans and false bank guarantees. Through this complex network, it is estimated that Bandenia may have laundered large sums of money from drug traffickers.
Although Jalaff has stated that his association with Bandenia was in search of financing to cover his debts in Chile, evidence suggests greater involvement in the bank’s activities. It has been found that Jalaff was present in meetings with José Miguel Artiles, the main person involved in the money laundering case in Spain, suggesting a closer collaboration than Jalaff has admitted.
The discovery of these connections between Jalaff and Bandenia raises questions about the Chilean businessman’s possible involvement in illicit activities. Chilean and European authorities could open new investigations to clarify the extent of Jalaff’s involvement in this international financial scandal.
It is worth mentioning that Antonio Jalaff attracted the attention of the Chilean prosecutor’s office after his name was mentioned 33 times in the controversial audio of the meeting between lawyer Hermosilla, lawyer Leonarda Villalobos and businessman Daniel Sauer. In said record, Sauer stated that the Jalaff brothers, founders of the Patio Group, were the main beneficiaries after the questioned invoices of the factoring Factop, currently under investigation by the Public Ministry.
Ciper He also revealed that the Hermosilla and Jalaff families have a relationship of more than 20 years, which goes beyond legal advice, including shared businesses. Nurieldín Hermosilla, father of the lawyer accused in the Factop case and investigated for bribery of public officials, was part of the controlling company of Grupo Patio in its beginnings, establishing a relationship of trust. Additionally, in 2002 he defended Álvaro Jalaff—Antonio’s brother—in a drug case and later partnered with the Jalaffs in a restaurant chain. In Factop records, the Jalaff brothers have operations worth $53,387 million, and invoices from Luis Hermosilla related to Álvaro Jalaff have been found.
