Uruguayan government announced changes in the administration of national casinos

The Uruguayan government informed last week that it ordered changes at the top management organization of the casinos belonging to the state, under suspicion of corruption. Fernando Nopistch would replace Ozano as National Director of Casinos.

A press release of the Ministry of Economy pointed that, last Friday, the National Director of Customs, Luis Salvo, and the el director of state Casinos, Víctor Hugo Ozano, were relieved of their positions.

Minister of Economy and Finances, Alvaro García, said in the press release that he proposed Fernando Nopistch to replace Ozano as National Director of Casinos.

In the case of state casinos, its former director, Juan Carlos Bengoa, has been in preventive custody for several months, accused of having set a complex network of additional business associated with slots. There are also several people under arrest on this case.

The former Minister of Economy, Danilo Astori, now senator, defended Bengoa until the evidences took him to jail in a complex process that has its main focus in the fact that local casinos lost USD 16 million between 2002 and 2005.