Venezuela found half million Dollars to donate to Trump inauguration despite economic crisis

May 02, 2017 10:52 AM
WASHINGTON DC, USA – The Venezuelan government may not have enough money to ensure sufficient food, medicine and other necessities for its people, but it found the cash to donate US$500,000 to US President Donald Trump’s inauguration fund.
 
While foreign donations are banned under US law, recently released records show that Venezuelan state-owned oil company PDVSA made the donation through its US affiliate, Citgo Petrol, soon after offering a nearly 50 percent stake in Citgo to Russian oil giant Rosneft as collateral for a $1.5 billion loan.
 
Citgo Petrol was one of the biggest corporate donors to the swearing-in ceremony, ranking with the likes of JP Morgan Chase and Exxon.
 
The transactions came at a time when PDVSA and the Nicolas Maduro government were desperate for cash as oil revenues continued to shrink and civil unrest grew. The influx of money from Rosneft is said to be helping keep PDVSA and Maduro afloat.
 
According to a report in The Guardian, if Venezuela defaults on the debt, Rosneft could stand to gain a controlling stake in Citgo, a prospect that has caused anxiety among both Republicans and Democrats in the US Congress.
 
Under current circumstances, however, Rosneft could not take ownership of its shares in Citgo – which owns three refineries, as well as pipelines and oil terminals – because the Russian firm and its boss, Igor Sechin, are under US sanctions linked to Moscow’s military intervention in eastern Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea.
 
Meanwhile, the donation revelation comes amidst a series of violent demonstrations in Venezuela which have so far claimed almost 30 lives and injured many more.
 
Anti-government protestors argue that the country’s economic woes have led to yet further deaths as citizens grapple with escalating food, water and medical shortages, and inflation skyrocketing to around 800 percent.
 
The opposition blames Maduro’s socialist government for its failure to return the country to stability and accuses him of undermining the country’s democracy.
 
Caribbean 360

Lawyer Roeland Zwanikken considers legal action against ABN AMRO Bank

May 08, 2021 6:14 PM
THE HAGUE--Attorney-at-law Roeland Zwanikken at St. Maarten’s BZSE law office is considering legal action against the intention of the Dutch ABN AMRO Bank to close the bank accounts of its clients in the Dutch Caribbean.

Fiscaal onderzoek bij notariskantoren vinden doorgang

May 07, 2021 8:04 AM
In het Antilliaans Dagblad: Fiscaal onderzoek bij notariskantoren
WILLEMSTAD – De fiscale onderzoeken bij de notarissen vonden en vinden, ondanks de beperkingen van Covid-19, weer doorgang en de medewerking aan de kant van notarissen en adviseurs is daarbij ‘over het algemeen goed’.

Juridische miljoenenstrijd tussen BNP Paribas en Italiaanse prinses verhardt

February 22, 2021 4:51 PM
  • Bezit van Italiaanse Crociani-familie op Curaçao mag van rechter worden verkocht
  • De Crociani's ruziën al jaren met BNP Paribas over een claim van $100 mln
  • Curaçaos trustkantoor United Trust heeft 'geen enkele relatie meer' met Camilla Crociani
Een Italiaanse prinses met zakelijke belangen in Nederland heeft het onderspit gedolven bij diverse rechtbanken in een langslepend conflict met zakenbank BNP Paribas.