English
Español
Message to INFODIO readers: investigative journalism, which is what this site does, takes lots of time. Visiting media looking for a quick run down on Venezuela's gargantuan corruption, have the decency to at least cite the source when plagiarising this site's content without attribution (exhibit Reuters here and here, exhibit Bloomberg here, exhibit OCCRP here). To all readers, do the right thing, the honest thing: support independent investigative journalism, help us expose rampant corruption. Note added 28/06/2021: impostors are using INFODIO's former editor's full name, and a fake email address (alek.boyd.arregui at gmail.com) to send copyright infringement claims / take down requests to web hosting companies (exhibit Hostgator). The attempt is yet another effort paid by corrupt thugs to erase information about their criminal activities. Infodio.com has no issues with other websites / journalists using / posting information published here, so long as the source is properly cited.
January 2022
PDVSA's US Treasury sanctions busting moves to Labuan: exhibit Ensa Energia A.G.
The latest regarding novel ways for PDVSA to continue laughing at U.S. Treasury sanctions involves an offshore jurisdiction that was never featured among usual suspects: Labuan International Business and Financial Centre. Companies registered in Labuan are a bit like the old bearer shares structures of other jurisdictions: UBO records related to any given company are only to be made available to enquiring parties if the UBO allows it.
UPDATED 07/01/2022 - 16:16GMT - Have a look at the pdf below. It is an internal memo from Grupo Financiero BOD, dated 18 October 2016, signed by none other than Victor Vargas, founder and CEO of the group. No watermark has been added to preserve orginal metadata (author Carely Valentin). It relates to banking operations in Venezuela and abroad (money transfers).
It really is hard to figure the calculus here: "The United States continues to recognize the authority of the democratically elected 2015 National Assembly as the last remaining democratic institution and Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s interim president.
Elizabeth Holmes verdict: some are more guilty than others
Guess it would be fairly easy to write a feminist critique about guilty verdict, on counts of conspiracy to commit fraud and wire fraud, against Theranos' founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes. The jury's decision seems particularly harsh, considering main victims here are the bruised egos of the imbecilic investors that fell for Holmes' unbelievable bullshit. Borrowing from her business pitch, a drop of common sense would’ve avoided the embarrassment, but greed springs eternal and Holmes knew how to capitalise on it.