Venezuela arrests five foreigners over alleged antigovernment activity
Al JazeeraOct 15
US Indicts Venezuelan Media Owner
Above: US Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC, on Oct. 10, 2024. Image copyright: Saul Loeb/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
The Facts
The US Dept. of Justice (DOJ) has indicted Raul Gorrin Belisario, the owner of Venezuela's state-owned media company Globovision, on money laundering charges linked to the country's state-owned oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA).
The indictment claims that as part of a $1.2B scheme, Belisario paid hundreds of millions in bribes to Venezuelan officials in exchange for foreign currency exchange contracts with PDVSA.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
The DOJ has done an incredible job at combatting this widespread, elaborate attempt to evade US sanctions. Gorrin and his co-conspirators blatantly paid off Venezuelan officials, who themselves have been caught purchasing luxury items in the US. The arrogance of these crimes did not go unnoticed and will be prosecuted to the greatest extent of the law.
Establishment-critical narrative
It makes sense that the DOJ would indict a man accused of taking Venezuelan oil money, given that Washington's goal is to take control of a state-owned industry. The imperialist role of the American oil industry — and its friends in government — must be remembered. This is an effort to privatize and profit off of Venezuela's natural resources.