The Lili Pink case has escalated to a transnational investigation after the Colombian Attorney General’s Office indicated that the company would have laundered assets worth more than 730,000 million pesos through a business network that now also involves companies linked to Panama, according to the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo.
According to the Colombian authorities, the operation would be based on a scheme that used importers, marketers and paper companies to simulate foreign trade operations and give the appearance of legality to resources of illicit origin.
The investigations, which date back several years, detected patterns such as underinvoiced imports from Asia, fragmentation of transactions and irregular financial movements that made it difficult to trace the money.
As part of the operation, the Prosecutor’s Office applied precautionary measures on 405 commercial premises, 40 properties, eight vehicles and a company, in an attempt to dismantle what has been described as an alleged money laundering network with international ramifications.
However, the case is not limited to Colombia. Journalistic investigations and reports linked to the file have indicated that the business network includes corporate structures in Panama, which expands the scope of the investigations.
According to these reports, the brand operates in Colombia through the company Fast Moda SAS, whose sole shareholder would be a Panamanian company incorporated in 2020.
In addition, it has been identified that the chain is part of an international holding company with a presence in Panama, which reinforces suspicions about the possible use of foreign jurisdictions within the corporate scheme investigated.
This component has put the role of Panamanian companies in the group’s financial structure under the microscope, especially in relation to capital traceability and the possible use of offshore companies.
Colombian authorities are also investigating related crimes such as smuggling – which would exceed 75,000 million pesos – and illicit enrichment, in a case that has raised concern due to the magnitude of the resources involved.
In parallel, the investigation has directed its attention towards the origin of the capital that allowed the rapid expansion of the brand, which has hundreds of points of sale in Colombia and a presence in other countries in the region.
For now, the process remains in the investigative stage and the authorities have not issued any convictions. The stores continue to operate under judicial control while the proceedings progress, in a case that could redefine the scope of investigations into transnational business networks in Latin America.
