Venezuela is, again, in vogue. Is not Hugo Chavez calling George W. Bush names from an U.N. pulpit, but the actions of his Havana-picked heir, Nicolas Maduro. Maduro has all the power that Chavez... Let me rephrase: Maduro has more power than what Chavez could ever amass. Maduro has consolidated a narco trafficking, dictatorial, galloping kleptocracy and has vested himself, and his collaborators, with power quotas beyond democracy's and rule of law reach. Normal rules just don't apply to Maduro and his criminal organization. He can't be voted out, dismissed, impeached, or taken to court.

Nicolas Maduro is keen on continuation with rampant corruption: not content with partnering with OFAC-sanctioned kingpins to "boost" PDVSA's output, he ordered formation of PETROSUR, a new 60/40 joint venture between Corporación Venezolana de Petróleo (CVP- affiliate of PDVSA) and Inversiones Petroleras Iberoamericanas Ltd, a €1,000 Cyprus shell controlled by Alejandro Betancourt, through a

Great news: the court has unsealed the Engagement Letter, between PDVSA and Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, which sets the rules for establishment of PDVSA US Litigation Trust. This is but confirmation of what this site published a while ago.