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Eighth processed in the USA for bribes in Petroecuador
Posted On 08 Apr 2019
Ecuadornews:
US District Judge Carol B. Amon decided to join the proceedings that were separately against the Ecuadorians Ramiro Luque Flores and Gustavo Alberto Trujillo Franco. The reason: both participated in “the same money laundering plot,” related to Petroecuador’s bribes.
Thus, an Ecuadorean eighth enters the list of defendants in that country, in cases that are carried in Florida and New York.
The judge made the decision at the request of the East District Attorney’s Office in New York. The process is related to the bribes of the contractor Galileo Energy S.A., which was in charge of the treatment of the caustic soda of the Esmeraldas Refinery.
According to Petroecuador’s records, Galileo Energy, representative of the multinational Veolia Enviromental Services, obtained $ 38.1 million in contracts, all signed by Carlos Pareja Yannuzzelli. But according to US court documents, only $ 27 million was paid.
The Panama Papers showed how Luque processed, with the help of Frank Chatburn Ripalda, the registration of companies in tax havens for Petroecuador officials through the Mossack Fonseca law firm (MF). Chatburn was associated with more than 40 companies at the base of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), including Biscayne Capital and Sentinel Mandate & Escrow, both in the British Virgin Islands, and managed by Biscayne Casa de Valores, of Guayaquil.
In May 2014, María Alexandra Bucheli asked MF for a general power of Biscayne Capital BVI Ltd. in the name of Trujillo, from Guayaquil, who was then 34 years old.
Almost a year later, Bucheli processed the payment of annuities to MF. The transfer was made from the Deutsche Bank Securities Inc Global, of New York, ordered by the company Madison Asset LLC, of the Cayman Islands.
In October 2015, Madison Asset canceled the arrears of Sentinel Mandate & Escrow Ltd. These payments were made by Trujillo, who took charge of relations with MF. The transfer came from the same bank.
This newspaper requested an interview to the registered mails by Trujillo, without results. One of them, Vanguardia Holdings, is inactive.
In November 2018 Luque’s guilty plea was accepted for money laundering and violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. His lawyer did not answer an interview request.
Other foreign companies
Records
Gustavo Trujillo is a director of the company 7940 West Dr. LLc., Of Miami, which operates at 1548 Brickell Av. According to Opencorporates, he is a director of the Panamanian companies Management & Preservation Services Inc. and Bruckel S.A., both active. (I)
