Thread by @anyaparampil

Did Guaido envoy & former Exxon lawyer @carlosvecchio pocket $70 million from Citgo's US accounts?

I explore claims DOJ is probing Vecchio for overseeing a massive fraud scheme & document the theft of Venezuela's wealth in my latest @GrayzoneProject
thegrayzone.com/2019/06/19/gua…

In February, @jguaido selected a new board for Citgo & PdVSA despite the fact the appointees would not control anything on the ground in Venezuela.
Citgo's new board was stacked w corporate consultants & former oil industry executives who retired when Chavez won power in 1998:

Citgo's opposition-appointed Chairwoman, Luisa Palacios, was advising hedge funds and corporations on Latin America energy policy just months ago. Now she heads a major Latin American-based energy company.🤔

She's also a former investment bank analyst & World Bank consultant.

Opposition-appointed Citgo board members Angel Olmeta & Luis Urdaneta worked as top Citgo & PdVSA executives before Chávez won power in 98.

Like @carlosvecchio, they saw their lucrative careers w Big Oil end due to Chávez's drive to nationalize Venezuela's oil wealth.

Venezuela's opposition also selected Guaido coup official @dsmolansky to serve on PdVSA's board.

His appointment even confused the Caracas Chronicles, which noted he is not among the "respected and experienced professionals from the oil industry" 😭
caracaschronicles.com/2019/02/16/wha…

.@dsmolansky is part of @carlosvecchio's sizable entourage of coup officials currently lobbying for more US intervention in Vzla from DC.

Vecchio did not respond to my qs regarding the management of Citgo accounts/ where he finds funds to cover his salary & those of his staff.

Tho its unclear who controls Vzla's assets seized by Trump admin & handed to @jguaido, @carlosvecchio sounded excited to manage them.

Asked what he can get done in DC w/o an embassy, he replied protect "bank accounts". Odd focus for an "ambassador", no? pri.org/stories/2019-0…