Leopoldo J. Martínez is a Venezuelan tax expert and lawyer based in Washington D.C., closely associated with the opposition movement against the late Hugo Chávez. Martínez is set to be the representative in Washington for the MUD—an umbrella group of parties and politicians led by Henrique Capriles. His Twitter and Facebook accounts reveal his political stance, showcasing photos of him proudly sitting next to Capriles (photo).
Additionally, he is intended to be president and CEO of something known as the Center for Development and Democracy in the Americas (CDDA), a name that feels rather grand for an organization with little to show for itself. There are no records of CDDA on Guidestar, nor in the IRS’s database of tax-exempt organizations. Furthermore, there is a lack of registration or financial info on its website. However, Florida state records do show an entry for CDDA. Sources in Washington have informed me that Martínez has taken the liberty of including the names of distinguished Venezuelans on the CDDA board without their consent.
In “La nueva Europa,” a shadow publication operating out of London, Martínez presents himself as part of the “wealth management team” of DAVOS Financial alongside David Osio and Gustavo Rivas. Given the name’s commonality, one could argue there are many Leopoldo Martínezes in Venezuela, and the one from DAVOS Consulting might be a different individual. However, this particular Martínez has made threatening calls to those who have criticized his boss: David Osio of DAVOS Financial Group. Moreover, there is an affidavit submitted by attorneys for DAVOS Financial regarding fraud allegations against Osio in Miami by former associates, in which Martínez claims to have “personal knowledge” of matters related to the lawsuit, and admits that in 2012, while serving as Managing Director of LMN Consulting LLC (registered in Delaware and sharing an address in Washington with CDDA), he was “hired by Davos Asset Management to update a U.S. transfer pricing planning analysis… prepared by Deloitte Tax LLP in April 2010.” Essentially, Martínez argues that “certain affiliates of DAVOS do not have a commitment” to U.S. trade and lack “continuous, substantial, and regular activity in the U.S.” which could exempt him from filing/payment obligations. Martínez also lectures on anti-money laundering and even warns about entities registered in places like Delaware…
So there is no doubt that the Leopoldo J. Martínez who acts as MUD’s representative in Washington D.C. is employed, or has been employed, by David Osio, someone who could be asked to write affidavits in support of his boss’s legal battles. Regular readers of this site might remember previous blogs about David Osio and his dubious financial group. It’s not inherently wrong to be employed by individuals like Osio; however, the level of conflict of interest associated with being an opposition representative simultaneously is simply unescapable.
The opposition movement in Venezuela is wholly permeated by individuals like Martínez, who have no qualms about playing both sides. In fact, there’s another character closely related to Martínez, Ramón José Medina, also on the CDDA board, who has indefensible professional ties with ‘banker’ Víctor Vargas, another highly corrupt individual who rose to power under Hugo Chávez. What is wholly unacceptable, and must be publicly denounced, are Martínez and his boss’s attempts to silence perfectly valid criticisms. After all, these figures are supposed to be pro-democracy, right? How can one explain a “democracy” advocate sending threatening letters, emails, and making menacing phone calls to critics? It raises the question: why hasn’t Florida representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen—aware of Osio’s shenanigans—called out such undemocratic practices on U.S. soil? Notably, Osio even received some sort of Congressional Medal in “recognition of his distinguished contribution” to the U.S. What “distinguished contribution” would that be? Deceiving the public about his bank’s operations?
Martínez has stated “under penalty of perjury according to the laws of the United States of America” that David Osio’s financial operations are legitimate. That remains to be seen, and the jury is still deliberating over whether Osio is as innocent as those who take his penny believe he is. But what do U.S. laws say about threatening people over the phone without a valid reason? I wouldn’t know, so I emailed Martínez for comments. There has been no response. The certainty here is that the entire opposition movement could do without individuals like Martínez. There’s no future for Venezuela with morally bankrupt leadership.