An international network operating under the guise of humanitarian aid was in reality designed to move huge amounts of oil, money and resources, such as gold, coal and aluminium, so helping Venezuela skirt US sanctions. This is the conclusion of an investigation conducted by the Spanish newspaper El Pais, in conjunction with Armando.info, a collective of Venezuelan journalists.
The complex scheme operated, the report says, with the complicity of Mexican government officials.
It says that the scheme involved ‘dozens of people and companies across 30 different countries [moving] money through tax havens. [Its origins] stretch back to the sanctions imposed on Venezuela since 2014, mostly by the US, against “those responsible for significant acts of violence, serious human rights abuses, or antidemocratic actions” in the country.’
According to El Pais, ‘The scheme first exchanged oil for food and water tankers, but then expanded to earn money from exports via financial networks beyond the reach of the United States. All those involved in the scheme are linked to one person: Alex Saab. He is allegedly Maduro’s front man and is currently in Cape Verde, awaiting extradition to the US to be tried on money-laundering charges.’
The report includes copious diagrams and scans of documents, including receipts, bills of lading and contracts, to explain how the scheme operated.
