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UPDATED 30/01/2021 - Gotham City's slogan is certainly one of the most appropriate we've seen: "La revue du crime économique." This week's newsletter brings another exhibit of "crime économique", read how Swiss banks embrace money laundering regadless of origin. The wife of Luis Carlos de León, former legal counsel of PDVSA and of CORPOELEC who pleaded guilty to DoJ, placed $11 million in an account "chez Lombard Odier & Cie SA". Eventually, she tried to move the funds to New Zealand, whose authorities do know how to use Google -unlike Swiss bankers- and froze the lot. De León, along wanted fugitives Nervis Villalobos and Javier Alvarado, was part of a posse of utterly corrupt Venezuelan officials at the core of multi billion dollar procurement fueled by bribes. Criminal probes in various jurisdictions have found against de León & co. Andorra, for instance, has a stack of incriminating evidence against de León, Villalobos, Alvarado and others. Crucially, de León's wife, is also featured.
Summary documents from a criminal probe into Banca Privada d'Andorra (BPA), show how de León made transfers from his Ribston Investments S.A. account at BPA (AD33 0006 0008 2412 0032 3109), both to himself ($10,623,485 / €2,300,000) and to wife (Andreina Gamez Rodriguez - $300,000), to accounts in Switzerland.
Gamez's name appears next to debits and credits related to Ribston Investments' account. In January 2012 Gamez withdrew €300,000 and in July 2013 she deposited €330,044.84. The first wire transfer to Andreina took place in July 2008.
Part of the transfers to Switzerland were for acquisition of real estate in Caracas. A document shows Gamez and de León as buyers of Maricarmen, a 800 mts2 mansion in Caracas, from Grupo Loroco, whose account at Societe General in Switzerland (CH82086822889700AOOOU) got $3,120,000 from de León's Ribston Investments S.A. at BPA in January 2013. The price of of the house, as per document, was $5,200,000.
This site sent a request for comment to a Lombard banker believed by our sources to be involved. We shall update accordingly.
UPDATED 30/01/2021 This site sent a request for comment to Lombard's Miguel Ferrer Giovanola, believed to be de Léon / Gamez banker at Lombard Odier's Bahamas office. No reply has been received, although perhaps this is due to an unrelated matter. Gotham City also reported this week that up to 40 Lombard-associated parties have been dragged to other legal wranglings involving old and new partners "Bataille d’héritiers chez Lombard Odier & Cie".
