The Ainesis Services Cooperative Association denounces that since 2018 Banesco has not returned its funds that total 1,700,000 dollars. This was indicated through a document with multiple precautions sent to the writing of Últimas Noticias.
The money was deposited at the Los Aviadores agency, located in Maracay (Aragua), where on Friday 6/8/18 they recorded a communication stating that “our company is awaiting the return of funds.”
Five years have passed since said request and the Cooperative Association has still not received the funds claimed despite the fact that on Friday, 6/8/18, manager Pedro González “indicated that they had already authorized the return of our money with a cashier’s check… which would be deposited in our account on Monday at the latest”.
Faced with this situation, the members of the Cooperative Association, Fernando Javier Castillo and Nelson Alonso Milla Pineda, denounced the matter in the Public Ministry.
Two years after the fact, the Public Ministry opened an investigation under the number MP-74985-2020 where Pedro José González Agüero, manager of the Los Aviadores agency, located in Maracay (Aragua), was charged.
That manager was charged with the alleged commission of the crime of continued fraud, according to court file MP21-P-2020-001424.
When opening the investigation, the victims asked the Public Prosecutor’s Office to extend it to Maribel Martínez, a person with whom they had agreed a business to protect the funds of the Cooperative Association through the purchase of works of art.
To carry out the aforementioned transaction with a view to the acquisition of works of art, the Cooperative Association deposited in the account of Maribel Martínez the sum of Bs 139,500,000.00 ($1,700,000). But this person allegedly promised the certificates of authenticity of the works of art at a certain time, a situation that did not convince the Cooperative Association, which led to the cancellation of the business. From then on, the victims began to demand that the bank return those funds.
Despite the cancellation of the business by both parties, Banesco allegedly did not take the measures for Martínez to mobilize the money from the Cooperative Association.
Because of this, the members of the Cooperative Association wonder why Banesco “did not order the blocking of Maribel Martínez’s account, despite all the claims made by us and the existence of a letter signed by Martínez herself in which it authorized Banesco to prepare a cashier’s check in favor of the Cooperative Association”.
In this regard, the Financial Intelligence Unit of the Superintendency of Banks (Sudeban) collects the necessary documentation.
The victims presume that the protocols in Banesco failed “in the face of transactions that could be considered suspicious,” according to a communication that rests in the file.
