Recent investigations into corruption schemes known as Cripto-PDVSA and CVG have unveiled a lengthy list of participants involved in shady dealings. Notably, businessman Pedro Rolando Maldonado Marín stands out, having held various public administration positions under the shadow of Tareck El Aissami—such as the presidency of the Corporación Venezolana de Guayana (CVG) and the management of the Banco Central de Venezuela (BCV)—and is currently detained. A new name adding to this list is Richard Antoun.
Pedro Maldonado may have collaborated with CVG vice presidents Felipe Santiago Contreras (steel division), Edgar José Sánchez (marketing), and Lino Gómez to legitimize the money received from their corrupt activities in Venezuela and worldwide.
In this context, the National Anti-Corruption Police, affiliated with SEBIN, is attempting to locate Richard Antoun, a businessman from Puerto Ordaz who has accumulated wealth through corrupt practices. His partnership with Héctor Herrera Jiménez, a former director at the Caroní Municipality and a member of the Venezuelan Housing Mission and PDVSA, is well-known. Both are significant contractors for CVG in contracts authorized by Maldonado. Additionally, documents reveal the name of Jorge Infante, another associate of theirs.
Richard Antoun was allegedly one of the most favored contractors in the group, winning major contracts since Tareck El Aissami assumed the vice presidency in 2017 and subsequently appointed Pedro Maldonado at CVG. His projects included the restoration of the Cachamay stadium and the Hermanas González gymnasium, both located in Ciudad Guayana, as well as constructions for the Housing Mission. As a result, he received payments in minerals, iron, and alumina.
Antoun’s significant business dealings led him to purchase the first-division football team Mineros de Guayana in 2021, which he allegedly intended to use for money laundering; however, it left him deeply in debt once the investigation began.
It is known that Antoun was responsible for transporting alumina, thanks to his connections with CVG and Bauxilum. He also conspired with Jorge Infante to sabotage Ferrominera’s production by pricing the minerals exorbitantly due to the exchange they offered for labor and machinery. Moreover, he has financed Ángel Marcano‘s campaign for the governorship of Bolívar state, in addition to owning properties like farms, mansions, and apartments. His sudden wealth remains unaccounted for, especially considering he arrived in Venezuela with no money. He did not obtain a foreign identification card until July 2019 (as seen in the Official Gazette No. 41,684). How did a foreigner with no funds amass such a vast fortune just before the COVID pandemic? There is no reasonable explanation.
Antoun is also the owner of Beirut restaurant in Puerto Ordaz, where his associates gather to conduct business with CVG and other state enterprises. The lavish spending on parties and dinners organized there is striking.
More arrests are anticipated in the coming days related to this corruption conspiracy, which has already implicated over 50 individuals.