Credit: Wikipedia  /  Citgo Petroleum Corporation (CITGO), a Houston-based subsidiary of Venezuela’s state-owned and state-controlled energy company Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA).

By Gary Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

U.S. prosecutors charged a former Citgo Petroleum manager in connection with an international bribery and money laundering scheme.  Jose Luis De Jongh Atencio,  48, a dual U.S.-Venezuelan citizen is charged for his alleged role in laundering the proceeds of a scheme involving bribes made to corruptly secure business advantages from Citgo and PDVSA, the U.S. Department Of Justice announced Thursday.   According to the indictment, De Jongh received over $2.5 million in bribe payments through the scheme.  Citgo Petroleum Corporation, is a Houston-based subsidiary of Venezuela’s state-owned and state-controlled energy company Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA). De Jongh, a former procurement officer and manager in Citgo’s Special Projects Group, is charged with one count of conspiracy to launder money and five counts of money laundering. The indictment alleges that beginning in or around 2013 and continuing through at least 2019, De Jongh agreed to accept bribe payments from businessmen including Jose Manuel Gonzalez Testino, (Gonzalez), a dual U.S.-Venezuelan citizen, and Tulio Anibal Farias Perez (Farias), a Venezuelan national and Houston resident, and others in exchange for assisting the businessmen and related companies in conducting business with Citgo and PDVSA.

In return for receiving $2.5 million in bribes, De Jongh he allegedly provided improper business advantages to Gonzalez and Farias to assist them with procuring Citgo and PDVSA contracts, U.S. prosecutors said.

Bribe Payments Made In Names of Shell Companies in Panama, Switzerland:  US DOJ

The indictment further alleges that De Jongh directed bribe payments from Gonzalez, Farias and others to be made to bank accounts in the names of shell companies in Panama and Switzerland.  In some instances, he also allegedly directed the creation of fake invoices to justify payments. De Jongh then laundered the bribe proceeds through U.S. bank accounts and used most of the funds to purchase real property located in the SDTX, according to the charges. De Jongh also allegedly received gifts and other things of value from Gonzalez, Farias and others including tickets to a 2014 World Series Game, Super Bowl XLIX and a U2 concert. Gonzalez and Farias have already entered guilty pleas in connection with the case.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Swiss Federal Office of Justice and the Office of the Attorney General of Panama also provided assistance. Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick of the Southern District of Texas (SDTX) and Special Agent in Charge Mark Dawson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Houston made the announcement.