2024-03-16 03:47:12
Javier Aguilar, a former Vitol executive, was convicted of paying bribes to Petroecuador officials, including former International Trade Manager Nilsen Arias. He faces up to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to money laundering.
A Brooklyn jury decided, on February 23, 2024, to find guilty Javier Aguilar, former executive of Vitol, one of the largest companies for the marketing of oil products and derivatives. Aguilar was found guilty of paying bribes to Ecuadorian and Mexican officials. Aguilar was one of the Vitol representatives who participated in the negotiation of a fuel oil pre-sale contract with Petroecuador for USD 300 million. Since Vitol could not participate, Oman Trading International served as a front for the contract.
“Javier Aguilar bribed officials at state-owned companies in Ecuador and Mexico, using paper companies and fake invoices to obtain business for Vitol, where he worked as an executive,” said Nicole M. Argentieri, an attorney with the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
The testimonies of two Ecuadorians were presented in the trial against Aguilar: Nilsen Arias, former International Trade Manager of Petroecuador, and Antonio Peré, an intermediary who helped with the payment of bribes. According to a press release from the Department of Justice, in the trial it was proven that Aguilar paid bribes to obtain the fuel oil contract during the Rafael Correa government. But once Correismo officials left their positions (including Nilsen Arias) with the change of government, they looked for new officials to continue paying bribes and obtain “additional business.”
Additional evidence presented by prosecutors showed that, in addition, Javier Aguilar also received “personal benefits” after signing the fuel oil contract, paid from the companies that Vitol had established in Curacao.
PRIMICIAS obtained part of the transcripts of this trial and revealed the details that Nilsen Arias recounted during his testimony, including that he used the money from Vitol bribes and other Petroecuador contracts to buy a house and other real estate in Portugal, where He settled down with his family.
Petroecuador: Antonio Peré does not remember having done business “without paying bribes” After the jury’s declaration of guilt, a judge must set the sentence for Aguilar. He faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison for the crime of conspiracy to money laundering. Arias and Peré, who testified at the trial, have pleaded guilty and expect a reduced sentence after their collaboration in this trial.
Source: PRIMICIAS