Timely reminder about Smartmatic and elections in Venezuela
A while ago (pre Covid-19) I collaborated with Guillermo Salas (Former
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.
Cesar Alfredo Prada Maneyro and Juan Manuel Paez Maneiro received "personal loans" for $50,000 and $115,000 respectively in November 2012. The funds were wired from an account (AD21 0006 0008 2612 0054 3611) at Banca Privada d'Andorra (BPA) that belonged to a company called Codfish Investments S.A. Prada Maneyro is a chavista diplomat.
A while ago (pre Covid-19) I collaborated with Guillermo Salas (Former
The U.S. Department of Justice (finally) charged Claudia Diaz Guillen and husband Adrian Velasquez with money laundering on 30 October. Diaz Guillen and Velasquez were part of a larger money laundering network that included former head of Venezuela's Treasury Alejandro Andrade, and sidekick and facilitator Raul Gorrin. Andrade is the man who famously pleaded guilty to getting $1 billion worth of bribes.
Our interpretation of Nicolas Maduro's regime anti U.S. sanctions constitutional law (see pdf below) isn't verbose. In short, Maduro has vested himself with an instrument that does not exist in Venezuela's jurisprudence (constitutional law), cloaks it under ius cogens, to do whatever off-the-books business he sees fit, with whichever entity, local or international, in the most absolute obscurity. No authority in the land is to learn what, when, or how deals under it are done.
Going through some of the documents related to reorganisation of Nynas, we found this (see page 6):
Count us among the suspicious, the incredulous. In early 2019, even before Juan Guaido declared himself interim president of Venezuela, we met with senior officials of the Trump administration. Very early in our meeting words to the effect of "we like Leopoldo" were uttered. I remember it vividly, having thought "oh man... where do we start?" For Leopoldo, before his puppet Guaido became a thing, was already, arguably, the most toxic politician in Venezuela. Alas that was the hope then.
UPDATED 13/11/2020 - Following in the "fine tradition" of trying to silence investigative journalism, today we got a threat (see pdf below) from some French lawyers, Philippe Tessier and Luc Brossollet.