PDVSA ex-executive admits taking bribes

[Tom Kirkman + 8,860]

I'm shocked.  Shocked I tell you !  

And Maduro shockingly calls the investigation "politically motivated".

Complicating this is the apparent involvement of Muh Russia ! !  ZOMG  ! !  Conspiracy ! ! ! !

PDVSA ex-executive admits taking bribes in guilty plea in U.S. court

A former finance executive of Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA accepted $17 million in bribes as part of a broad embezzlement scheme, U.S. federal prosecutors said on Wednesday, in a case that implicates a French oil firm and a Russian bank.

The former executive, Abraham Ortega, admitted to taking the bribes as part of a guilty plea to one count of attempting to launder $12 million of the illegal payments, the U.S. Attorneys' Office for the Southern District of Florida said in a statement.

The case comes amid growing U.S. investigations into the troubled OPEC nation's public officials, and may lead to new revelations about the role of foreign firms in graft probes that until now have mainly focused on Venezuelan nationals.

... The government of President Nicolas Maduro has described the U.S. investigations as politically motivated, and accuses Washington of seeking to undermine his government through financial sanctions.

[Dan Warnick + 6,100]

4 hours ago, Tom Kirkman said:

The government of President Nicolas Maduro has described the U.S. investigations as politically motivated, and accuses Washington of seeking to undermine his government through financial sanctions.

Well, the U.S. Government will be happy to see that he's getting the message and feeling the heat.  Turn it up (just not too high, so it doesn't affect the climate change thermometer!).

[Tom Kirkman + 8,860]

5 hours ago, mthebold said:

Tom, I'm confident you'll put this to good use: 

https://www.reactiongifs.us/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/im_shocked.gif

Heh heh, thanks, it's perfect.