US Indicts Venezuelan Media Owner

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Facts

  • The US Dept. of Justice (DOJ) has indicted Raul Gorrin Belisario, the owner of Venezuela's state-owned media company Globovision, on money laundering charges linked to the country's state-owned oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA).[1]
  • 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.[2][3]
  • 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.[4]
  • Belisario is known as a member of the 'boliburgueses,' a group of wealthy elites with ties to the old Hugo Chavez regime. He purchased Globovision in 2013 and reportedly reduced its criticism of Pres. Nicolas Maduro.[2]
  • He faces 20 years in jail if arrested and convicted, though he remains at large. This is not his first stint with the US justice system, having previously been accused of money laundering in 2020.[1]

Sources: [1]Al Jazeera, [2]Associated Press, [3]BalkanEU and [4]Washington Post.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by United States Department of Justice. 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.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by World Socialist Web Site. 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 a state-owned industry. The imperialist role of the American oil industry — and its friends in government — must be remembered. This is an effort to privatize and profit off of Venezuela's natural resources.