Venezuela arrests five foreigners over alleged antigovernment activity
Al JazeeraOCT 20 2024
The US Justice Department (DOJ) has indicted Raul Gorrin Belisario, the owner of Venezuela's state-owned media company Globovision, on money laundering charges of linked to the country's state-owned oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA).
The indictment claims that as part of a $1.2B scheme, Belisario paid hundreds of millions in bribes to Venezuelan officials in exchange for foreign currency exchange contracts with PDVSA.
The DOJ alleges that with the foreign currency, Belisario and his co-conspirators purchased real estate and yachts in the US, among other luxury items.
The DOJ has done an incredible job at combatting this widespread, elaborate attempt to evade US sanctions. Gorrin and his co-conspirators blatantly paid off Venezuelan officials, who themselves have been caught purchasing luxury items in the US. The arrogance of these crimes did not go unnoticed and will be prosecuted to the greatest extent of the law.
It makes sense that the DOJ would indict a man accused of taking Venezuelan oil money, given that Washington's goal is to take control of the state-owned industry. Whenever the US prosecutes a Venezuelan, it's important to remember that it's likely part of a plan by the American oil industry — and its friends in government — to privatize and profit off of Venezuela's natural resources.