Going After Chavez’ Laundered Money?
March 5th, 2008 at 10:14pm Mark Noonan
From World Check:
Reliable Washington sources report that the Treasury Department of the United States, and other government agencies, whilst searching for assets held in financial institutions in connection with the ongoing Global War on Terrorism, have identified billions of dollars of laundered funds worldwide, all secreted by key senior Venezuelan government officials, a few military officers, and a large number of Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs), for their own corrupt use and benefit, and for that of designated global terrorist organisations, on the express orders of President Hugo Chavez. The US now reportedly intends to officially name Venezuela as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, and seize all the hidden overseas accounts it has located. Miami banks alone hold several billion dollars of illicit money, and accounts have also been identified in places like China, Andorra, and Panama, and most of the major offshore financial centres. The funds rightfully belong to the people of Venezuela, as they were looted from government accounts, taken as bribes and kickbacks, and earned from narcotics trafficking activities aided and abetted through illegal governmental involvement. The other individuals targeted in this investigation are members of the Bolivarian Elite, a group of businessmen close to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Frias, and his family, and whose aim is to keep his corrupt regime in power. These Bolivarians have earned obscene amounts of money through corrupt government contracts, outright theft of government assets, and favoured transactions that have resulted in their acquisition of major assets that rightfully belonged to the Republic of Venezuela.
The date on this story if February 26th - ie, before the Chavez-inspired crisis erupted over Colombia’s attack on a terrorist camp in Ecuador. Could it be that Chavez was aware of all this, and decided to pre-empt attention by stiring up a war scare? Only time will tell…
Entry Filed under: Foreign Affairs, War on Terror
11 Comments
1. phnx | March 5th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
This will no doubt result in another spike in oil prices. But I beleive it may be worth it if it results in the downfall of Chavez and his cronies.
2. js | March 5th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Chavez will try to use it to futher the split between the USA and much of Central and South America.
The Oil to Citgo is about to dry up.
3. js | March 5th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Wonder how OPEC will deal with this. Chavez was telling them to steer clear of US currency in just the last few months. Might be a schism in OPEC to shake up production for the loss of Venezuela’s input.
4. Uncommon | March 6th, 2008 at 12:28 am
This is either a really elaborate plot to prevent Chavez from cutting of his supply of 1.2 milion barrels of oil per day to the US or we just don’t care if he cuts them off. Out of curiosity which terrorist organizations are Venezuela funding and what proof is there that the money is laundered? And if these accounts are hidden how do we keep magically finding them? Now, I don’t doubt for a second that Chavez is a scum bag nor do I think he is somehow vindicated as being such. But I also refuse to believe that his threats to remove all of Venezuela’s assets from the US as well as his pleading to other Central American countires to do so has no play in having his assets frozen. Nothing is quite that straight forward.
5. Mark Noonan | March 6th, 2008 at 1:00 am
uncommon,
Fair questions - I’ve been looking over Colombian newspapers in “Babelfish” translation to try and get a local-eye view, and it seems that the man who was killed in Ecuador is widely despised in Colombia…it wasn’t an innocent man, nor a hero of the people, who was killed…but, at best, a drug trafficker dressed up as a rebel.
As for Chavez’ angle - we don’t, of course, know the full truth of his connections to all this, but it seems clear that he has very strong ambitions in that area of the world, and we’d be worse than fools to presume he wouldn’t back a rebel group fighting a government which stands in his way. In the money-laundering bit - its a commonplace that tyrannical regimes hide money; feathering their nests in case they fall, right? Heck, at one point in the Russian Civil War, Lenin and the rest of the Bolsheviks made plans to skip town with false passports and wads of cash in case the Whites broke through - it would be almost un-natural for Chavez and co not to steal a bit of Venezuelan money and place it in offshore accounts.
6. Freedom1 | March 6th, 2008 at 1:26 am
Going After Chavez’ Laundered Money?
Sounds good to me. Chavez is a dictator who should be deposed.
Could Chavez afford to cut off oil shipments to the US? I’ve heard that Venezuelan oil is such that it takes a special refining process to process it. American refineries are equipped to do that, but it would be expensive for other foreign nations to deal with Venezuelans crude.
Whatever the case, I agree with Phnx that any spike in oil prices would be worth it if it meant that Chavez and his regime fall.
7. A Concerned Colombian | March 6th, 2008 at 3:24 am
The man downed in Colombia, Raul Reyes, was a despicable drug-dealer, terrorist, rapist, and murderer. Current polls show over 80% approval of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe’s actions. The slap in the face comes when Chavez, who has repeatedly denied offering sanctuary to FARC rebels in Venezuela, offers a “moment of silence” for Reyes.
Things worsen when documents come to light, found in Reyes’ computer, that reveal Chavez possibly gave the FARC $300 million dollars (and that FARC gave Chavez 100 million pesos when he was in prison after a failed coup). As if that weren’t bad enough, high-placed sources in the Colombian military have confirmed they believe Manuel Marulanda Velez, a.k.a. “Sureshot” (maximum commander of the FARC) is sick and currently resting in Venezuela. It is then theorized that Chavez’ order to move ten battalions to the border with Colombia is not to attack or initiate a war but, rather, to protect Marulanda. From this, the jokes have started that with Reyes dead and Marulanda near his death bed, the new maximum leader of the FARC is Hugo Chavez himself.
I’m all for bringing down that scumbag Chavez. From funding terrorism, to trying to discredit the Colombian government while at the same time trying to gain legitimacy for a terrorist group*, to fomenting instability in Latin America, that man is a danger to the region, to Latin America and, if given enough time, will be to the world.
*Among the documents found in Reyes’ computer is a detailed, step-by-step plan to discredit the Colombian President on a world stage while simultaneously helping improve FARC’s image.
8. A Concerned Colombian | March 6th, 2008 at 3:40 am
Quick P.S.
I noticed you wrote:
“…and it seems that the man who was killed in Ecuador is widely despised in Colombia…it wasn’t an innocent man, nor a hero of the people, who was killed…but, at best, a drug trafficker dressed up as a rebel.”
The man killed WAS a rebel. And these rebels ARE the drug traffickers, terrorists, and murderers. They’re one and the same. As much as the FARC would like to be portrayed as an “army of the people,” it is the very people they claim to protect that they hurt the most with land mines, kidnapping, recruiting children for their lines, etc. There’s a reason FARC is in the U.S. and the E.U.’s list of terrorist groups. FARC does NOT speak for the Colombian people. As recently as a couple of months ago, there were marches worldwide against the FARC where the Colombian people, in one loud and clear voice, renounced their terrorist tactics. The FARC has been shedding innocent blood for decades, this demonstration was just to raise awareness and declare to the world what the FARC really are.
Now, more specifically, Raul Reyes, the guy killed, was the #2 man of the FARC and their public speaker (hence, all the information/documents recovered from his laptop). So yes, he was despised, hated, and his death very well recieved, as is evidenced by the overwhelming support for the president’s actions (to draw a parallel, Raul Reyes was sort of our “Abu Musab Al-zarqawi”). So when people like Hugo Chavez lament the death of Raul Reyes, you see clearly where they stand and where his ideologies fall.
9. js | March 6th, 2008 at 9:02 am
Maybe Bush will send in our Black OPs forces to find this guy Velez. With some photo ‘ops posing with Venezuelan military, it would crush Chavez’s accusations.
Dont even need to kill the worm.
10. Kahn | March 6th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
uncommon - “magically” finding this money? Get a clue.
11. FmrMarine | March 6th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
HMMMMMM
I seem to remember the libnazis going CRAZY after Pat Robertson commented, why waste Billions and lives for hugo, send in a delta force team, and with a .45 cent bullet put an end to this lunacy.
Sure looks like ole PR was right on the money!