Who can we trust regarding the $50 million bribes in Venezuela? Should we believe Nervis Villalobos? Here’s what he told our website in 2013:
Nervis Villalobos, a former deputy minister of energy in Venezuela, refutes claims that he transmitted a bribery offer from electricity contractor Derwick Associates to Rafael Ramirez, the Oil Minister of Venezuela.
The accusations against Villalobos emerged in a lawsuit filed by Otto Reich about a week ago against two executives of Derwick and an alleged associate. Villalobos responded to my inquiry for comments on the case.
“I know Derwick quite well,” he mentioned. He further stated that “they aren’t strangers to me.” He admitted that he may have flown on a jet owned by the company, explaining that he sometimes travels on chartered jets and may not be aware of their ownership.
He claimed that he has “not been involved with PDVSA, the Ministry, or any such entity” since departing from government in 2006. He noted that his government service has hindered his ability to open a US bank account and that his name has appeared in various news articles, but insisted the accusations are baseless. He typically refrains from responding to these claims, saying that “if one starts defending against every attack, one ends up loseing their mind.”
Villalobos mentioned that his work primarily involves feasibility studies and consulting within the Venezuelan electricity sector.
And according to El Mundo, a newspaper from Madrid, recent reports indicate:
The Spanish company Duro Felguera allegedly paid a significant sum to a Chavista leader for “oral” consulting in the bidding for a lucrative contract in Venezuela, as detailed in documents obtained by the Spanish investigation at Banco Madrid.
The report from the Executive Service for the Prevention of Money Laundering (Sepblac) reveals evidence of a dubious contract between Duro Felguera and Nervis Villalobos, a former deputy minister of energy during Hugo Chávez’s government, according to police sources cited by El Mundo…
Villalobos’ company reportedly lacked proper documentation and was only meant to provide “general oral information” and could offer written reports if necessary. Investigators find it hard to believe that $50 million would be paid for mere verbal reports…
The objective of the contract, as per police sources, was to “advise on the potential granting of a public works contract for a combined-cycle thermoelectric power plant of 1,080 MW (Termocentro).” The new contract was signed on April 12, 2011, yet by May 4, 2009, the company successfully secured a construction contract for Termocentro to supply power to Caracas, due to be finished in 2013, valued at €1.5 billion…
Duro Felguera responded yesterday by stating “this is a completely standard and legally notarized contract.” They added that “no state agency has requested information from Duro Felguera, nor have we been under investigation.”
…Villalobos had the ability to transfer funds freely in the Spanish branch of the Andorran bank, holding 3 million euros in his accounts. In April 2012, he moved $2 million to another account in Miami and in March 2014 secured a loan of 1 million euros from Banco Madrid to purchase a home in Spain, using shares in a Venezuelan company in the Islands as collateral.
Nervis, you mentioned you do feasibility studies. Can you clarify this?