Pedro Trebbau López

Pedro Trebbau López is the co-founder and executive director of Derwick Associates, a Venezuelan energy company.[1]

Derwick and its representatives are currently under investigation by New York prosecutors for corruption charges.[2][3]


Derwick Associates

Derwick Associates was founded in 2007 by Trebbau Lopez, Alejandro Betancourt López, and Francisco D'Agostino. The company won several contracts from the Venezuelan government during the 2009 - 2010 Venezuelan energy crisis.[4][1]

Lopez is currently involved in negotiating a deal between Derwick and Spain to undertake several contracts in the country as well.[5][6]

Legal activity

In July 2013 Otto Reich, the former US Ambassador to Venezuela, filed a RICO suit in the New York Federal Court alleging that the Derwick Associates executives, including Lopez, had bribed Venezuelan officials to secure lucrative contracts to build power stations and then subcontracted to Missouri-based ProEnergy Services to carry out the construction,[7][8] unjustly enriching themselves in the process.[8] Reich also claimed that the defendants caused his business to lose contracts by defaming him, calling on a shareholder to come forward in a previous court case and claim Reich worked for Derwick.[8][7][1]

In March of 2014, human rights advocate Thor Halvorssen Mendoza filed a suit in a Miami circuit court against the Derwick Associates executives, including Lopez, claiming they had defamed him and damaged his reputation and business during Derwick's court action against Banco Venezolano, and alleged that they had made a $50 million bribe to the Venezuelan Assembly speaker Diosdado Cabello in order to gain lucrative government contracts.[9] Halvorssen has stated that former Derwick employees have come forward and confirmed these allegations.[9]

Criminal investigations were launched in mid 2014 by the United States Justice Department and New York City banking regulators into Derwick's activities and the activities of its executives. The investigators are probing into the price difference between what Derwick paid to ProEnergy Services for its contract services and what Derwick was ultimately paid by the Venezuelan government. In addition, authorities are investigating potential concealment of bribes and banking violations. The investigations are still in the preliminary stages and it is unclear if criminal charges will ultimately be brought. The Derwick executives deny the allegations brought against them.[10][1]

In March of 2016 it was revealed that a U.S. investigation into Derwick's activities is ongoing. Swiss banks have turned over evidence to U.S. authorities in connection with money-laundering and other financial violations. This information is currently being sought by the Attorney General investigating Derwick and its representatives in New York. While no criminal charges have yet been filed, this is the first "official confirmation" of an ongoing investigation.[2][3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "La justicia de EE UU sigue la pista de los 'bolichicos' venezolanos". El Pais. 8 August 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Swiss Banks Land in Middle of Money-Laundering Probe -- Again". Bloomberg. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Switzerland to hand Venezuela oil firm bank records to U.S.". Business Insider. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  4. ↑ Luis Carías Toscano. "Derwick ha edificado 11 plantas termoeléctricas que generan 1.386 MW". El-nacional.com. Retrieved 2014-03-29.
  5. ↑ "Derwick Associates Looks to Expand by Bringing Unique Experience to Spain". Benzinga. 9 January 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  6. ↑ "Derwick Associates to Seek Investment Opportunities in Spain". PRWeb. 5 November 2013. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  7. 1 2 "Suit Alleges Graft in Venezuelan Contracts". Wall Street Journal. 31 July 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 "Otto Reich, Former US Ambassador To Venezuela, Files Bribe Suit Against Executives At Derwick Associates". Huffington Post. 31 July 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  9. 1 2 Delgado, Antonio Maria (27 March 2014). "Lawsuit filed in Miami accuses Venezuela top official,". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on July 19, 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  10. ↑ Cordoba, Jose; Mathews, Christopher (8 August 2014). "Venezuelan Energy Company Investigated in U.S.". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 8 August 2014.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 4/6/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.