An email from [email protected] yesterday brought to light the lawsuit by Harvest Natural Resources against Rafael Ramírez. Ramírez emailed his followers an update, claiming that “the U.S. court ruling against Rafael Ramírez was overturned,” which is remarkably false news. Judge Lee Rosenthal annulled a default judgment ($1.4 billion) awarded against Ramírez, concluding that “there is good cause to vacate the default judgment and resolve this million-dollar international corruption case regarding the fund.” [emphasis added] Furthermore, Judge Rosenthal rejected Ramírez’s jurisdictional challenges and ruled that her court has sufficient jurisdiction over the matter. This is potentially huge.
Rafael Ramírez approved a $4.5 billion money laundering scheme. If Harvest plays its cards right, it will be easy to show Ramírez’s links to other ongoing criminal cases facing the U.S. Department of Justice. Judge Rosenthal’s ruling establishes that, at this stage, there is enough evidence to demonstrate that Ramírez is the “Official B” in an indictment against Luis Carlos de León, one of Ramírez’s associates. Crucially, Nervis Villalobos was also indicted alongside de León. Villalobos has been one of Ramírez’s favored operators, acting as a right-hand man in various corrupt schemes across multiple jurisdictions.
Ramírez is criminally involved in the case against Roberto Rincón; in the cases of Francisco Convit, Raúl Gorrín, and others, in the Odebrecht case and the case related to Banco Espirito Santo…
Recently, we wrote:
“Do you remember the scandal involving Ricardo Salgado’s Banco Espirito Santo and Rafael Ramírez? It seems that Portuguese authorities are more cooperative than Spanish ones… We learned of a criminal investigation in Houston (related to Roberto Rincón) that received a new boost, with almost a report against Ramírez [alias ‘Cabello Gris’, ‘Official B’]. Javier Alvarado – Ramírez’s partner at BARIVEN and CORPOELEC – is charged, as well as Nervis Villalobos, one of Ramírez’s favorite proxies.”
But where it really gets bad for Ramírez is in his undeniable connection to a $4.5 billion money laundering scheme set up by Villalobos, Derwick Associates, and the Oberto Anselmi brothers. Ramírez’s signature is right there on the PDVSA document approving the scheme. According to sources, the Grand Jury case is progressing very well and will shatter Ramírez’s absurd innocence claims.
This site asked Ramírez if he would accept an in-person interview at any of his hideouts in Rome, Milan, and Turin. No response was received.
Ramírez is an integral part of the criminal investigations in Andorra, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, and the U.S. It’s simply a matter of time until international criminal justice catches up. Judge Rosenthal’s decision is extraordinary because it closes the door on Ramírez finding refuge and escaping liability through civil process technicalities, such as improper notice and lack of jurisdiction. Even in civil courts, there is no solace for the architect of the largest corruption scheme in the history of Venezuela, and that is great news!