Playboy Lavitola explains $25 million commission

PLAYBOY, FIXER and current jailbird, Valter Lavitola,  facing judges in Rome on Tuesday, Jan.19, tried  to distance himself from the  Agafea Corp., in Panama  which received a 10 percent commission as part of the $250 million defense contract between Panama and Italian defense contractor Finmeccanica.

Prosecutors have described the payment as a bribe orchestrated by Lavitola, but he has classified it as a sales commission.

Prosecutor Paolo Ielo described the false nature of the consulting contract between Agafea and Finmeccanica, questioning why “a contract would have such an onerous 18 million euro fee.”

Lavitola said that Agafea served as Finmeccanica’s resident agent in Panama.

The prosecutor shot back that that clashed with the reality, as the three subsidiaries of Finmeccanica already had a resident agent, the Panamanian lawyer Marleni Paolo.

“There is evidence that much of the international corruption is forged through fictitious consulting contracts,” Ielo said.

Lavitola, tried to deny his ties with Agafea and any relationship between the company  and former President Ricardo Martinelli. However, the prosecutor cited recorded conversations in which Lavitola told  Finmeccanica Commercial Director Paolo Pozzessere in July 2011 that the former president owned 35 percent of Agafea.

In that conversation Lavitola also admitted to having an interest in Agafea Corp.

Agafea’s president is Karen de Gracia, who was linked romantically to Lavitola.