Claudia Díaz, once a nurse to Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez, found herself embroiled in controversy as she ascended to a position overseeing the nation’s treasury. Currently serving a term in a US prison for money laundering, investigators in Europe are delving into her hidden wealth. However, it appears she wasn’t acting alone.
Ronnie Budja and José Alcántara de la Torre, despite their differing backgrounds, share a covert link. Budja, aged 41, is a Swiss banker with a penchant for skiing and a residence in Monaco, while Alcántara de la Torre, aged 43 and originally from Venezuela, holds a Cypriot passport, resides in Paris, and holds a role in an acquisitions committee for London’s Tate Modern museum.
These two seemingly unrelated men are connected through a document revealed by Liechtenstein prosecutors, granting them permission to remove numerous gold bars from a concealed vault. European authorities are now investigating these bars, suspecting them to be part of a money laundering operation conducted by a former high-ranking Venezuelan official – the individual in charge of the national treasury under President Hugo Chávez.
Claudia Patricia Díaz Guillén, who previously worked as a nurse, quickly climbed the ranks from taking the president’s temperature to managing billions of dollars in state funds. Though she stepped down after Chávez’s death in 2013, it later emerged that she was one of many elite Venezuelans who amassed fortunes while depleting the country’s wealth.
Earlier this year, Díaz and her husband received a 15-year prison sentence from a US federal judge for accepting and laundering over US$136 million in bribes from a media mogul. The bribes were given in exchange for preferential access to bonds from the Venezuelan treasury. Despite the conviction, more of her wealth remains undisclosed.
The origins of Díaz’s amassed fortune remain shrouded in mystery, but European investigators believe that a portion was funneled into a Liechtenstein vault. Allegedly, an offshore company connected to Díaz purchased 250 gold bars worth US$9.5 million in 2014 and 2015. Subsequently, the gold was gradually sold between 2018 and 2019.
Liechtenstein prosecutors suspect the funds used to buy the gold were illicit.
While Díaz and her husband’s prosecution unveiled a part of the story, more information surfaced from a sentencing memo, indicating they were “additionally in control” of significant assets overseas.
The Liechtenstein investigation, initially reported by the Associated Press, sheds light on previously unknown associates – Ronnie Budja and José Alcántara de la Torre. Documents obtained by prosecutors suggest that Budja played a pivotal role in managing the gold.
These two individuals, living privileged lives in Europe, are yet to be charged. However, their involvement in aiding Díaz’s alleged money laundering endeavors highlights the crucial roles played by accomplices in facilitating corrupt officials’ schemes.
As of now, there is no comment from Budja’s lawyers, while requests for Alcántara de la Torre’s input remain unanswered. Díaz’s lawyers also have not provided a response. The investigation into Díaz and her associates remains ongoing, with more information expected to emerge.
