UPDATED 12/01/2021 – 14:20 GMT – In addition to the minor incident last week at Madrid airport, where the main thug of Derwick Associates, Alejandro Betancourt, was confronted by a fellow Venezuelan who reminded him that his future was akin to that of Alex Saab, we thought it prudent to review Betancourt’s latest activities. A new narrative presents him as a sort of tropical Steve Jobs with a “Midas-like” touch. Betancourt’s PR team has almost completely erased Derwick from his past. That chapter is now described as “… in 2007, engineering and construction of thermonuclear plants in his home country, Venezuela…”. This seems very strange, considering that every cent he possesses today originates from the energy surcharge of approximately $1 billion in Derwick contracts from a decade ago.
Betancourt 2.0 wishes to be recognized as the man who “transformed” Hawkers, a small online sunglasses shop in Spain where he invested around €80 million (all stemming from corruption). The nuclear PR hype showcases a smiling Betancourt—not because of Hawkers’ profits—sitting in a bland room while talking on the phone.
This site has identified the room where Betancourt is reportedly working. It’s the billiards room of 4 Cowley Street, a Grade II listed mansion (with a price tag of $46 million) located in London, just behind Westminster Abbey and a stone’s throw away from Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Betancourt seems to enjoy that billiards room: here’s another angle.
Property records consulted indicate that Mohammed Al Nemer and Omair Ahmad Rana held director roles in Garnet CS Limited, a shell company based in the Isle of Man behind the property. The London real estate company Saigol presented the property as a “record rental.”
UPDATED 12/01/2021 – 14:20 GMT: Jack may have moved on, but the censorship on Twitter continues unabated. Approximately 48 hours after pinpointing Betancourt’s favorite corner in his palatial London residence at 4 Cowley Street (SW1P 3NB), Twitter blocked my account @infodi0 for “posting private media.”
Twitter is clearly being manipulated by Betancourt. Firstly, the media in question are not private but rather Betancourt’s very own PR trash, which has been published all over the place (see below, Google if in doubt). Secondly, the images of the extensive renovations at Mansion House on 4 Cowley Street are also in the public domain (source: Daily Mail).
Thirdly, using images that are already public is not a violation of privacy. Anne Applebaum is correct: the bullies are winning, aided by social media companies like Twitter. Betancourt remains co-conspirator number 2 in a $1.2 billion money laundering case, a key figure in a separate $4.25 billion money laundering scheme, a partner of the FSB of Russia… the right resident among the lackeys of Westminster.
When established journalists/media share similar information about similar bullies on Twitter, nothing happens. Attached is a Reuters dispatch – Oleg Deripaska below.
FBI agents raided a mansion in Washington linked to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, with ties to the Kremlin and Paul Manafort, former campaign chairman of 2016 U.S. President Donald Trump https://t.co/6vhDNXdGv8 pic.twitter.com/Nep4uFV8un
– Reuters (@Reuters) October 19, 2021
But when attention is drawn to rampant corruption associated with Venezuelans, the censor bots spring into action. We have lost count of how many times Twitter has blocked this site’s account. The previous one used, a verified account (@alekboyd) with nearly 50,000 followers, was summarily shut down without much fanfare and without adhering to Twitter’s own procedures.