Transparencia Venezuela, the regional journalism platform Connectas and the Venezuelan research journalism alliance Alianza Rebelde Investiga (ARI in Spanish) present the Corruption – meter, a tool that helps to identify the scope of corruption in Venezuela and shows which cases get investigated in the country or other nation as well as the billions of dollars squandered in corrupt dealings between 1999 and 2020.
The platform takes its information from public cases and judicial investigations initiated by official agencies in and outside Venezuela, such as the Public Ministry of the Attorney General Office, the Comptroller General, the National Assembly, the courts, and other bodies dedicated to supervising the management of banking and customs resources.
Readers will find information on cases of corruption, including some that never has been investigated in Venezuela but are part of accusations and trials in other parts of the world.
As an opening to the Corruption – meter, El Pitazo presents clues about the cases from the content of this platform that reveal patterns and amounts involved.
1.- The five biggest cases of corruption in Venezuela.
2.- In Venezuela, the so-called “great corruption” is rarely investigated. The agencies in charge have focused on small or medium-sized cases.
3.- The economic sectors most affected by corruption in Venezuela are oil, public health care, finance, illegal drug trafficking and enforcement, law enforcement, and alimentary.
4.- Of the 20 most relevant actors involved in corruption, 80% are civilians and 20% military.
5.- Some 92 of 144 cases of administrative irregularities correspond to the management of PDVSA, representing 42,321 million dollars.
6.- PDVSA, which has financed projects related to food, health, and housing since 2003, is at the top of the list of the 20 organizations with the most cases of corruption.
7.- According to our estimates, the money lost in the oil industry due to corruption and inefficiency represents 11 times the amount of money lost in the health system. Also, 19 times that lost in the alimentary sector, and 31 times the amount lost in the housing sector.
8.- Only 5% of the Venezuelan cases have being investigated abroad are also in Venezuela.
9.- Of 879 Venezuelan officials, individuals, and contractors under the scrutiny of international justice for cases of corruption, only 551 got investigated in Venezuela.
10.- In Venezuela, the most frequent crimes investigated in association with corruption cases are the association to commit a crime (46), illicit association and concert in a criminal organization to commit a crime (21), and embezzlement (20). Outside the country, the Venezuelan corruption crimes most being investigated are money laundering (47), bribery of public officials (25), and association to commit a crime (7).
To navigate the platform, click here
