From left: David Osio, Andres Coles, and
Congressman David Rivera.
London – Yesterday, I received an unexpected call from someone I respect, whose professional integrity I have no reason to question. They were asked about me (specifically whether I was a paid writer) by a third party (Italo Pizzolante), who seems to act as a spin doctor for David Osio. The reason? My writings addressing how Al Cardenas and FTI Consulting have found success working with Venezuelan criminals and businesspeople of questionable credentials. It’s intriguing how some individuals manage to flout the law or straightforwardly violate it, yet are generally seen as “do-gooders, respectable, and successful” in circles that, based on education, sophistication, and access to information, should actually know better.
A clear example: David Osio. This gentleman was recently honored for his “distinguished contribution,” or at least that’s what Congressman David Rivera’s press release stated:
Washington, DC- Today Congressman David Rivera (FL-25) and several congressional colleagues will welcome more than two dozen Venezuelan-American leaders to the United States Congress in Washington D.C. for a ceremony recognizing their distinguished contributions.
“April 19, 2012 marks the 202nd anniversary of the beginning of Venezuela’s movement toward independence from Spain. This date offers a fitting opportunity to highlight the significant contributions that Hispanics of Venezuelan descent have made to the United States and the diverse fabric of American society. We are proud to honor more than two dozen Venezuelan-American leaders who excel in their respective fields, including medicine, business, arts and culture, journalism, and democratic activism, in recognition of their outstanding and distinguished works,” Congressman Rivera stated.
The awards ceremony is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. on Thursday in the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs Room, 2172 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC.
From left: Rivera, Osio, and Ros-Lehtinen.
Among the “several congressional colleagues” present for the “recognition” were Connie Mack and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, perhaps the two most hawkish Republican politicians in America regarding the Chavéz regime. There they were, happily posing for pictures with David Osio. Did their staff conduct any due diligence on the list of “Venezuelan-American leaders” to be honored? What specific “distinguished contributions” has David Osio made?
Before the call yesterday, I reached out to David Osio directly, having been reading up on his financial activities, and I had several questions, mainly concerning the anti-money laundering compliance he has in place. He did acknowledge my email, CCing a couple of employees meant to address my concerns (still waiting for a response).
In any case, a Google search reveals some fascinating information about Osio’s operations. His group, named DAVOS but not related to the Swiss city, appears to be a provider of financial services. It has offices in several jurisdictions and claims to offer tax-efficient solutions for its presumed wealthy clientele while maintaining transparency. They also claim to manage $2.8 billion, a substantial sum, leading me to wonder what guarantees are in place should their promised 3% return on CDs end up like the Allen Stanford or Francisco Illarramendi cases.
Despite claims of transparency, there’s hardly a name mentioned on DAVOS’s website, apart from that of its founder/owner (DAVid OSio). One has to look at DAVOS’s leaflet to find the management team: Gustavo Rivas, Mauro Nannini, Rafael Tinoco, and Andres Coles. No bios to be found anywhere.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with not posting banker details online, especially after recent events. But the questions persist: are these individuals authorized to perform their functions? If so, by which authorities and from what jurisdictions? What financial entity from the regions they operate in ensures that DAVOS adheres to due diligence, knows its customers, and, above all, checks politically exposed persons? Has the legitimacy of every last dollar from the claimed $2.8 billion been verified? Their AML leaflet seems to have been borrowed from various other sources (without proper attribution).
A DAVOS publication, aptly titled Davos Observer, claims they received something called “Best Offshore Corporate Services Provider – Switzerland 2012.” Go ahead and look it up. Try to find a similar-sounding award for another company in any year. The award was reportedly given by “The New Europe Industry Awards.” A quick search reveals a puff piece about DAVOS in a magazine called The New Europe, purportedly published by Chase Publishing in the UK. I traced an email address and sent a message to “The New Europe” publishers:
To whom it may concern,
Your publication “The New Europe” is referenced in connection with the “Best Offshore Corporate Services Provider – Switzerland 2012” award given to Davos Financial Group.
See: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/davos-financial-group-received-international-181600752.html
The New Europe website features an interview with Davos Financial Group executives titled “Davos Financial: The personal touch” from 29 May 2012.
Since news about the award appears to be solely press releases related to Davos Financial Group, I would like to inquire about the following:
1) What kind of award is that?
2) Since when have these recognitions been awarded?
3) What criteria or basis are used for the award?
4) Who are the judging authorities or individuals that make award decisions?
5) Are you able to provide an electronic copy of The New Europe publication (Dec. 2012) that announced the “Best Offshore Corporate Services Provider – Switzerland 2012”?
6) Given that your website (theneweurope.co.uk) seems to be nonfunctional, can you clarify if your publication is available exclusively in hard copy?
I aim to establish both the existence of that award and the truth behind news related to it.
I haven’t received a response from “The New Europe.” It’s worth noting that the “news” about the “award” reprinted on Yahoo Finance does not explicitly indicate that Yahoo Finance holds no responsibility for its contents, unlike Reuters.
However, oddities don’t end there. There’s also that other press release where DAVOS claims to have sponsored artist Peter Aerschmann. I called Peter, who informed me that DAVOS sponsored the space where he exhibited but he “didn’t receive any money for it.” Additionally, I discovered in a Swiss registry that David Osio’s powers over D. Société financière (Suisse) SA have been revoked (“Les pouvoirs de Osio David J.sont radiés.”) yet Société financière is still listed as a bank with which DAVOS collaborates.
Reflecting on yesterday’s call, I’ve seen that Osio has previously employed tactics similar to Derwick to silence critics. Notably, Pizzolante Comunicaciones (the PR firm representing Osio) attempted to reach out to me via the contact mentioned earlier. Furthermore, the law firm Lydecker Diaz LLC (responsible for removing content from several websites about Osio) has recently visited this blog. As I mentioned to my contact yesterday, if there’s nothing amiss in DAVOS’s operations, the best approach to handle doubts or criticisms is to be transparent and address concerns openly and honestly. Utilizing intermediaries, third parties, lawyers, and PR representatives is rarely effective, and sending legal threats to journalists and bloggers typically encourages further investigation.
TBC…