International
Prosecutor’s Office reveals details of corruption scheme in Venezuela
March 27 |
Venezuela’s Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, confirmed on Saturday that the corruption scheme in Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) involved the National Superintendence of Crypto-assets (Sunacrip) and implied “parallel operations” with crude oil cargoes in ships, without “any type” of administrative control or guarantees, “failing to comply with the contracting regulations”.
“Once the legally assigned crude was commercialized, the corresponding payments to PDVSA were not made, that is where we are seeing the patrimonial damage, the party that makes a negotiation outside the law does not comply with the payments, we are clearly seeing the criminal modality that they used”, he said.
Saab also informed that it was determined that the network used a conglomerate of mercantile companies to legitimize the capital obtained from the sales, through the acquisition of crypto-assets, movable and immovable goods, investments in the construction and real estate sector and demonstrating a “lifestyle that does not correspond to any public official”.
The prosecutor added that young people were recruited to be included in the money laundering network and that they were rewarded “with a lavish, illegal and criminal lifestyle”.
The detainees will be charged with appropriation of public assets, influence peddling, money laundering and association. The public officials will also be charged with the crime of treason.
In a press conference this Saturday, through the State channel, a video was released showing some of the arrests, warehouses where machines used for bitcoin mining were located and operations for the seizure of assets, including airplanes, buildings and fleets of vehicles.
“The assets of these subjects obtained in an illicit manner are already under safekeeping, it is an important recovery”, he insisted.
The prosecutor avoided specifying specific figures on the patrimonial damage, arguing that they are in an “investigation phase”.
Saab specified that ten officials and eleven businessmen were arrested for the corruption scheme.
The officials are: Antonio José Pérez Suárez, vice-president of Commerce and Supply of PDVSA and whom he pointed out as “main boss” of the corruption structure; Joselit Ramírez Camacho, now former superintendent of Sunacrip, who appears in a list of the US Department of Homeland Security of wanted for “money laundering and evasion of sanctions”.
In addition, the now former congressman Hugbel Roa, who, according to the prosecutor, used his position as congressman of the National Assembly to manage the assignment of crude oil loading contracts to operators who then did not pay, and who he described as “one of the most brazen of the criminal gang”.
José Agustín Ramos, Yamil Alejandro Martínez, Oduardo José Bordones, Heinrich Chapellín Biundo and Jesús Enrique Salazar, officials of PDVSA’s vice-presidency of Commerce and Supply, with responsibility for the operations of contracting, trading, loading and transportation of crude oil abroad, detailed the prosecutor.
Rajiv Alberto Mosqueda and Reny Gerardo Barrientos, both officials of the Intendencia de Minería Digital, were also arrested.
The businessmen are Manuel Meneces, who was identified as a financial operator and advisor to the head of the structure; Roger Martínez, “coordinator of financial operations and liaison between public officials and associated businessmen”; Rafael Perdomo and Roger Perdomo, “brothers who acted as associated businessmen and national financial operators to legitimize criminals”.
In addition, Daniel Prieto, “associated businessman and financial operator at national and international level who was arrested in the Dominican Republic at the request of the Venezuelan State.
He also mentioned Cristopher Barrios, Joana Torres, Alejandro Arroyo, Bernando Arosio, Fernando Bermudez and Leonardo Torres.
“All of them linked to this corruption network, with the same modality, laundering money, legitimizing capitals, they were assigned millionaire contracts that they almost never fulfilled, even since Hugbel Roa was Minister of Food”, specified Saab.
Saab announced that arrest warrants were released for eleven more persons: Juan Manuel Afonso and Manuel Ramón Afonso, “brothers as associated businessmen and international financial operators to legitimize illegally obtained capitals”; William Ribas, Ximena Parada, Eduardo Noriega, José Luis Ferrandiz, Olvanis Gaspari, Railyn Elizabeth Yépez, Rodolfo Moleiro, Alejandro Londoño and Yurabic Ravelo, regarding the latter he did not specify how they are involved.
“Several of these ladies who appear as captors to legitimize capital for these subjects appear to be linked,” he added.
The prosecutor made special mention to Pedro Hernández, mayor of the Santos Michelena municipality in Aragua state in the center of the country, arrested for his links with “El Conejo”, one of the most wanted criminals in Venezuela and who was killed this week, as confirmed on Friday by the Minister of the Interior, Remigio Ceballo.
“This mayor financed and supported with State resources parties, public events and logistic material of criminal groups, among them this guy’s (…) the maximum penalty will be applied to this group of people”, he assured.
Regarding the mayor, Saab accused him of having direct links with the criminal Héctor Guerrero, alias “el niño Guerrero”, who leads “terrorist cells at international level” in countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile.
The mayor was charged with the crimes of aggravated extortion, terrorism, obstruction of the freedom of commerce, aggravated criminal association, money laundering and treason.
The prosecutor reiterated that attorney Cristóbal Cornieles Perret, president of the Criminal Judicial Circuit of Caracas and José Mascimino Márquez, fourth judge of Control with competence in cases related to terrorism crimes, were arrested for having dropped charges and granted a substitutive measure to Cheremo Carrasquel, a man prosecuted as a member of the Ten del Llano, an organized crime group.
He also confirmed that, in Falcón State, attorney Bracho Gómez was arrested for having agreed to deliver motor vehicles that were subject to a precautionary seizure measure.
Regarding members of the former interim government, Saab reminded that they have opened approximately 22 investigations for crimes of usurpation of functions, capital legitimization, terrorism, corruption and treason, among others.
“We have achieved 288 arrest warrants, 129 people have been arrested and charged, here there has been no impunity against this sector called interim government, there are 13 people with extradition request, 63 people have been sentenced and 137 raids and 149 seizures have been made. There is an important result”, he stated.
According to Saab, since August 2017 the MP has investigated 31 plots linked to the fight against corruption, particularly to the oil industry, which has left 194 people prosecuted and tried and 75 convicted.
International
Brazil helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro kills six, including pilots and international figures
The Rio de Janeiro Civil Police confirmed on Monday the identities of three of the six victims killed in a helicopter collision that occurred the previous morning in the Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhood.
All three identified victims are Brazilian nationals: the pilots of the aircraft, Charles Marsillac and Alexandre Souza, and music producer Lucas Brito.
The identities of the three foreign victims have not yet been officially confirmed. They include U.S. singer Oliver Tree, Argentine YouTuber Gaspar Prim—known online as “Gaspi”—and Argentine producer Lucas Vignale, all of whom were listed on the flight manifest.
According to police, forensic experts from the Legal Medical Institute have already collected DNA samples in order to identify the foreign victims, whose bodies were severely burned.
One of the helicopters crashed into a private parking lot, triggering a fire that destroyed around twenty electric vehicles. That aircraft was carrying the pilot and four passengers, including the three foreign nationals.
The second helicopter, which had only the pilot on board, crashed approximately 100 meters away from the first impact site.
Rio de Janeiro’s deputy mayor, Eduardo Cavaliere, stated that both helicopters were operating transport flights toward Angra dos Reis on the Rio coastline and toward the mountainous region of the state.
Oliver Tree, 32, was in Brazil as part of an international tour. The artist, known for songs such as “Life Goes On” and “Miss You,” had performed to a large audience in São Paulo a week earlier and was scheduled to continue his tour in Europe.
Argentine content creator Gaspar Prim, 23, had built a following of more than two million on social media platforms, gaining popularity for humorous and often controversial video productions that had occasionally been removed by hosting platforms.
International
Mexico and U.S. Launch New Bilateral Security Group to Combat Fentanyl and Organized Crime
The governments of Mexico and the United States officially launched the Bilateral Implementation Group (BIG) on Friday, a new initiative aimed at strengthening cooperation on security issues and enhancing joint efforts against transnational crime.
In a statement, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson announced that he and Deputy Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco addressed officials from both countries who will lead what he described as a “new phase of bilateral cooperation.” The initiative seeks to curb the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs, illegal firearms, and human trafficking across the shared border.
Earlier this week, Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had confirmed that senior security officials from both nations would meet in Mexico City on June 12 to review and advance existing cooperation agreements.
Through social media, Ambassador Johnson explained that the new bilateral group is designed to improve coordination between the two governments by placing greater emphasis on implementation, accountability, and measurable results. The effort will also focus on combating transnational criminal organizations operating across North America.
“The participation of 15 U.S. government agencies, working alongside their Mexican counterparts, reflects the seriousness of this effort and our shared commitment to delivering measurable results,” Johnson said.
The ambassador also highlighted several achievements that he attributed to ongoing bilateral cooperation. According to Johnson, maritime drug trafficking into the United States has declined by more than 95 percent, while overdose deaths have fallen by 35 percent.
He further noted that Mexican authorities have seized more than 400 metric tons of illegal drugs and dismantled over 2,300 clandestine laboratories as part of their efforts to combat organized crime and narcotics production.
The launch of the Bilateral Implementation Group marks the latest step in the security partnership between Mexico and the United States, as both countries seek to address shared challenges related to drug trafficking, arms smuggling, human trafficking, and the activities of criminal networks operating across the region.
International
‘El Chapo’ Guzmán again asks Mexican president to seek his return from U.S. prison
Convicted drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán has once again appealed to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to intervene on his behalf and seek his transfer from the United States to Mexico, where he hopes to serve the remainder of his prison sentence.
Guzmán, the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, is currently serving a sentence of more than 50 years in the United States after being convicted in 2019 on multiple charges, including drug trafficking and money laundering.
According to reports, the latest request was made in a letter dated June 2, one of several messages that Guzmán has reportedly sent to Sheinbaum in recent months in an effort to secure his repatriation. In the letter, he expresses hope that the Mexican government can support the efforts of his legal team.
Written in English and by hand, the letter asks that he be allowed to complete his sentence in Mexico, arguing that such a transfer would enable him to receive visits from family members more easily.
Guzmán is currently being held at the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colorado, commonly known as the “Alcatraz of the Rockies,” one of the most secure prisons in the United States.
As in previous communications, the former cartel leader complained about his prison conditions, stating that he remains in near-total isolation and has little to no contact with other inmates.
He also reiterated his long-standing claim that he did not receive a fair trial in the United States and argued that the Mexican government bears responsibility for much of the violence associated with organized crime in the country.
In the letter, Guzmán maintains that his actions were motivated by a desire to protect himself and his family amid the violence linked to criminal organizations in Mexico.
Mexican authorities have not publicly indicated whether they plan to respond to the request. Guzmán remains one of the most notorious figures in the history of international drug trafficking and is serving his sentence under some of the strictest security measures in the U.S. prison system.
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