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Foreign Corrupt Practices Act & Anti-Corruption

Two Contractors Arrested in Venezuela Oil Probe

Venezuela Petroleos de Venezuela

According to news reports, a DOJ spokesman has confirmed the December 20 arrest of two contractors in connection with an ongoing probe of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela.  One of the contractors, Roberto Rincon, is the owner of a Houston-based oil-field supply company.  The other, Abraham Jose Shiera-Bastidas, is a Venezuelan national living in Florida. The indictment, filed in a Texas federal court, alleges violations of the FCPA’s anti-bribery provisions as well as money laundering offenses, and seeks forfeiture of several Swiss bank accounts.  The indictment alleges that between 2009 and 2014, Rincon and Shiera-Bastidas conspired to bribe Venezuelan officials in exchange for rigging the bidding panels that award contracts from Petroleos de Venezuela.  The indictment identifies nine alleged bribes paid by Rincon and Shiera-Bastidas totaling $790,000.