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.

Majed Khalil Majzoub

Updated 14.05.12 - Further to my previous post about chavista thugs suddenly realising the importance of online reputation management -in a likely post Chavez era- I have been able to narrow down who may be behind the clumsy intimidation attempt aimed at me: meet Majed Khalil Majzoud, an 'internet savvy' chavista.

Mr Khalil Majzoud, born 23 April, 1970, Venezuelan ID 13526338, has had an interesting life. In the same way as other Boligarchs -obscure individuals that have become extraordinarily wealthy in the shadows of Hugo Chavez's socialist revolution- Majed Khalil Majzoud has gone from nothing -quite literally- to:

  • having an interest in Serfoca, a partner of Venezuela's CVG, appointed to develop an "industrial project (Orinoco Paper Mill Project) for the integral processing of [500,000 hectares of] Caribbean pine wood";
  • getting another $5 million -gone missing apparently- to provide a technology platform to Venezuela's Defence Ministry;
  • having a controlling interest in Pacific Rim Energy, a company that has been granted millions by the Chavez regime -and by Evo Morales- for various energy projects;
  • having a controlling interest in Eveba, while stressing that influence of "mafias have decreased" in Venezuela...
I'm sure there's more. In any case, of all the people mentioned in the articles that are causing concern to unnamed parties, Majed Khalil Majzoud is the only one who has been having his information posted in hundreds of websites lately. Do check it out, there's 475 results published since someone -presumably on his behalf- demanded on 8 February that I deleted information from his dodgy past. Although the effort may also be related to his own problems -and those of his brother Khaled- with chavista justice (see here, here, and here).
In addition to that, a Majed Khalil -or someone in his stead- has registered .com, .net, .biz, .org, and .me domains, and is loading those sites with totally-unrelated-to-Venezuela content -despite some of it being in Spanish- to cover his tracks. 
Lame, lame...

Update: a trusted reader informs us that Majed Khalil is the bagman of General Francisco Rangel Gomez, former president of aluminium and mining giant Corporacion Venezolana de Guayana (CVG), current Governor of Bolivar state. Hence his deals with CVG. Majed Khalil is also a partner -and best man- of Lieutenant Antonio José Morales Rodríguez (aka "el catre"), godson and aide-de-camp of Hugo Chavez and one of his most trusted men. Morales is currently director of the office of the Secretary of Venezuela's Presidency. Morales has recently been fingered by former Supreme Court Judge Eladio Aponte Aponte as one of the men who ordered him to free an army drug trafficker (Pedro Magino) caught with 2 tonnes of cocaine in Venezuela.