Ricardo Alberto Albacete Vidal is a Hispanic-Venezuelan businessman known for his involvement in various controversies and for his role as the founder of the airline LAMIA. This airline, initially established in Mérida, Venezuela, and later moved to Nueva Esparta state, never managed to solidify its presence in either location. Eventually, LAMIA relocated to Bolivia, where it became a charter airline.
Ricardo Albacete Vidal has been embroiled in multiple scandalous situations. This week, he was arrested in Venezuela (alongside Aldo Roso Vargas) linked to alleged plans to sabotage the country’s electrical system and their supposed connections to far-right organizations, as he hosted political leader María Corina Machado in San Cristóbal. His lawyer has alleged that the arrest was arbitrary and that Albacete has faced persecution, invasions of his properties, and the detention of his employees without arrest warrants.
In another context, Albacete has been accused of acting as a supposed frontman for Chinese businessman Sam Pa, who was arrested for corruption and treason in China. This link became clearer when it was revealed that the initial capital for starting LAMIA came from Sam Pa.
Under Albacete Vidal’s management, LAMIA was involved in a tragic airline accident in 2016, which resulted in the deaths of 75 individuals, including most of the Chapecoense football team. Albacete, who recently lived in Spain, has attempted to distance himself from the current operation of LAMIA, claiming that his company only leased planes to the Bolivian version of the airline.