Let me start with the basics: El Universal, one of the oldest newspapers in Venezuela, was recently sold to a Spanish company called Epalisticia.
Epalisticia, a shell company registered in July 2013 with capital of €3,500, has a single shareholder: Tecnobreaks Inc.
Tecnobreaks Inc. was established in Panama in July 2011 by Carlos Odin Velazco, a Venezuelan who was informed that registering this company would help him regularize his immigration status in Panama.
There are three Spanish representatives behind Epalisticia: 1) Eduardo Escribano López de la Osa (passport AAI919496), 2) José Luis Otero Basanta (passport AF367761), and 3) José Antonio López de la Torre (passport AE961271).
When asked about his involvement in the purchase of El Universal on July 10, 2014, Carlos Odin Velazco expressed disbelief, claiming he had no connection to the acquisition and lacked the funds to carry it out.
A week later, on July 17, 2014, the agent of Tecnobreaks Inc. (José Alejandro Quiodetis) registered a record of an “extraordinary shareholders’ meeting,” supposedly held on February 14, 2014, during which Carlos Odin Velazco was removed as the company’s director. The three aforementioned Spanish citizens, linked to Epalisticia in Spain, were appointed as director, treasurer, and secretary of the company. The capital of Tecnobreaks increased from $10,000 to $1,000,000.
When I asked Carlos Odin Velazco on September 3, 2014, about that “extraordinary shareholders’ meeting”—held in February according to the registration documents—he stated that he was never informed and insisted Quiodetis had acted without his authorization. Odin Velazco further claimed that Quiodetis sold Tecnobreaks without his permission, making any decisions supposedly made during that meeting legally invalid.
Odin Velazco explained that when he incorporated Tecnobreaks in 2011, the registrar issued a stock certificate, similar to a diploma, without which no company can be sold. He also asserted he still possesses that certificate and remains the legal owner of Tecnobreaks.
Odin Velazco relayed that since the revelation of his connection to Tecnobreaks and Epalisticia, both he and his family have received threats.
Odin Velazco confronted Quiodetis with some information published on this website. Allegedly, Quiodetis became quite nervous upon learning that the first sole partner of Epalisticia in Spain was a company (Mediterranean Search) that is in turn a shareholder of Banesco International Holding. Epalisticia states on its website that it has investments worth a billion dollars. The main shareholder of Banesco, Juan Carlos Escotet, recently acquired a bank in Spain for just over €1 billion.
Odin Velazco mentioned he is considering initiating legal action against Quiodetis in Panama for the misappropriation of Tecnobreaks. NOTE ADDED 23.09.2014: Odin Velazco sent me an email today stating that he will sue Quiodetis, Eduardo Escribano López de la Osa, José Luis Otero Basanta, and José Antonio López de la Torre for violations of Article 366 of the Penal Code of Panama, which addresses the forgery of public documents and punishes offenders with prison sentences of four to eight years.
In addition to Quiodetis, the “extraordinary shareholders’ meeting” included two other individuals: Gustavo Chacón and Aristeo Boyd. No information has been found about Chacón; however, Boyd appears to be a football player.
Gustavo Mata Borjas, a Venezuelan lawyer with connections to Banesco, is cited as the legal advisor for the buying party.
Andrés Mata, the former owner of El Universal, has not responded to any requests for comments regarding the sale.