An Argentinean judge on Tuesday made an international application for the arrest of Daniel Uzcátegui, former state-run oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (Pdvsa) vice president, and his son Diego, as part of investigations of the case on the so-called "suitcase scandal," reported judicial sources.

Judge Daniel Petrone issued the arrest warrant at the request of prosecutor María Luz Rivas Diez, after the Venezuelan nationals failed to show up to testify four times.

Petrone sent an official letter to the Federal Police, who will notify Interpol of the arrest warrant for the Uzcáteguis, reported Efe.

Daniel Uzcategui and his son are suspected of complicity with Venezuelan-US businessman Guido Antonini Wilson, from whom USD 800,000 were confiscated on August 4, after he tried to smuggle the money into Argentina. This incident unleashed a diplomatic impasse between Argentina and the US.

Antonini Wilson and Diego Uzcategui were passengers on board a jet chartered by Energía Argentina (Enarsa) that arrived in Buenos Aires from Caracas carrying government officials of tthe Argentinean state-run firm and Pdvsa.

Also under investigation in the case is Claudio Uberti, the former Argentine director of an entity controlling highway concession, who said that he had allowed Antonini Wilson to travel on that flight at the request of the former chief of the Venezuelan energy firm.

The Argentine judiciary accuses Antonini Wilson of "money laundering," for which it asked for his extradition from the US, where he lives and is cooperating in a parallel judicial investigation. The case caused a scandal in late 2007, when in the investigation of alleged spying by Venezuela a Miami prosecutor released tapes of several people accused in the case confirming that the money was intended for the election campaign of the current Argentinean president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.