Rafael Reiter Muñoz, former PDVSA security chief, has been in prison in Spain since October 2017 for his alleged involvement in money laundering from bribes through Andorran banks, among other crimes. Supposedly, Rafael Reiter is willing to testify about an alleged money laundering and bribery scheme involving the former president of the state oil company Rafael Ramírez
The Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), through its criminal chamber, endorses the extradition to Venezuela of Rafael Reiter Muñoz, former head of security for the state-owned Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) during the administration of Rafael Ramírez.
The request was made by the government of Nicolás Maduro to Spain to hand over Reiter via extradition. The decision to endorse this request is contained in sentence 216 of the Criminal Chamber, drafted by magistrate Carmen Castro. This is indicated by a middle note Last News Posted this Friday June 23rd.
Reiter Muñoz has been in prison in Spain since October 2017 for his alleged involvement in money laundering from bribes through Andorran banks, among other crimes.
Supposedly, Raphael Reiter is willing to testify about an alleged money laundering scheme and bribery involving the former president of the state oil company Rafael Ramírez.
Reiter’s intention became known through a document from the Court of the Southern District of Texas, United States (USA), in which it is ensured that he has first-hand information about the bribery of different PDVSA officials by suppliers and that he himself was even bribed.
Reiter was head of Security and Loss Prevention at PDVSA in Caracas. Subsequently, Rafael Ramírez appointed him head of Security and Loss Prevention for the entire state oil company between 2010 and 2011.
The US also asks to extradite Rafael Reiter
The US authorities also requested his extradition, but the Spanish authorities responded that he cannot leave Spain until the pending legal proceedings in that country are completed.
For its part, the note Last News indicates that “the Public Ministry requested an arrest warrant against Reiter Muñoz last April, which was approved by the 27th Control Court of Caracas, an instance that also agreed to start the extradition process, according to the file sent to the Criminal Chamber last June 13th”.
The investigation into money laundering in Europe, where Reiter Muñoz is allegedly implicated, began on December 1, 2017 by the National Anti-Corruption Police.
The investigation report is based on police documents from Andorra, the Financial Intelligence Unit of that principality and the United States Department of the Treasury.
The general document describes the so-called Salazar Group (by Diego Salazar), made up of a group of companies linked to each other “to defraud Venezuelan state companies.” These reports identify officials of PDVSA and the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum “who received large bribes during the period between 2007 and 2012.”
The judgment of the TSJ details that the amount laundered in the Private Bank of Andorra for the period from October 2011 to November 2012 is more than one thousand three hundred and forty-seven million euros.
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