A personal nurse to Hugo Chavez-turned-finance official reportedly stole billions from the South American nation's coffers. The trail leads to a vault in Liechtenstein – as well as several Swiss banks and intermediaries.
A government official and former nurse to Venezuelan ex-President Hugo Chávez is accused of siphoning millions from the state. The woman, Claudia Diaz, moved roughly $300 million worth of assets including gold to Liechtenstein, according to «Associated Press» reporting.
Diaz opened a shell firm in St. Vincent and the Grenadines to buy 250 gold bars worth nearly $10 million, according to Liechtenstein court files seen by the «AP». The precious metal then headed for a private vault in an industrial area of the principality, according to daily«Liechtensteiner Vaterland» (in German).
Parked in Switzerland
Several years later, Diaz allegedly sold the gold, parking the proceeds in a Swiss bank account. She denies holding any gold, or a Liechtenstein bank account. The details are spilling out thanks to legal assistance between Switzerland, which isn't investigating Diaz, and the neighboring principality, the «AP» reported after viewing documents.
Liechtenstein is focusing on Charles-Henry de Beaumont, a Geneva-based banker who previously worked for Compagnie Bancaire Helvétique, or CBH. Beaumont, who appears to have left CBH in 2012, is identified in Liechtenstein's judicial filings as «in charge of transferring the funds of corrupt members of the Venezuelan government to Switzerland,» the «AP» reported.
Caribbean-European Web
Beaumont, who is being investigated by Miami prosecutors, was apparently at the center of a web between St. Vincent, Panama, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. Besides CBH, money from selling the stowed gold found its way to Liechtensteinische Landesbank, according to court documents.
Diaz's millions represent a sliver of the billions that have left Venezuela. Julius Baer as well as Credit Suisse have also been caught up in Venezuelan graft and money laundering investigations. Since 2015, early 4.5 million Venezuelans – more than 10 percent of its population – have left the crisis-stricken nation, now led by Nicolas Maduro after Chavez died in 2013.
