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.
The Objective brings quite a scoop today: PDVSA retained Baltasar Garzon to act in some corruption cases in the Spanish jurisdiction. The cases involve procurement at BARIVEN, and appear to focus, particularly, on Roberto Rincon and Abraham Shiera. Eulogio del Pino signed for PDVSA, establishing objectives and association with ILOCAD, which is Garzon's shop.
Refreshing bit of news out of Sweden this morning: Fredrik Bjorkman reports that Sweden's Security Service (SAPO) has finally taken an interest on the whole 'reorganisation' farce involving Nynas Bitumen. This is great stuff.
The case of Alex Saab's arrest in Cape Verde could easily be put in the box of U.S. Government's blunders. Department of Justice's Attorneys and Drug Enforcement Administration's agents have been looking into Saab's activities for a very long time, in our view more than enough to build a water-tight case to put away this Colombian thug, his narco partner German Rubio, and his closest relatives / associates. But DoJ and DEA haven't. One of Saab's sons lived in America (on who's dime?) for years.
The world's foremost anti corruption campaigner, Alex Navalny, wrote an article from prison recently that was published by The Guardian. In it, Navalny calls for a number of measures to be implemented, in the western world, so that thugs like the ones ruling his country and mine can be stopped. I have news for Navalny: that call is as likely to happen as Putin or Maduro relinquishing power because their opposition is asking.
Any journalist, blogger, commentator that has ever been victimised by very powerful thugs and their detestable counsel ought to be following -with great interest- various class actions brought against Catherine Belton in London. The issue at hand is Belton's book, Putin's People, which gives a detailed account of how a bunch of thugs looted Russia -thanks to thug-in-chief Putin and his KGB, becoming oligarchs in the process.
This site has been critical of U.S. Treasury sanctions towards PDVSA / Venezuela. We have argued that, as implemented, sanctions were akin to a haphazard siege: cut access to main / back entrances, leave all other entry points open. We have reported how, despite sanctions, PDVSA hasn’t stopped trading its crude, assisted by a never ending queue of operators who are not American, i.e. do not have to observe / comply with Treasury sanctions. A lot of money has been made on the back of sanctions.
[See added note below] - From GOV.UK: "Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has announced further sanctions on individuals under the UK’s Global Anti-Corruption sanctions regime." Further on the press release: "Alex Nain Saab Morán and Alvaro Enrique Pulido Vargas for exploiting two of Venezuela’s public programmes
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