Exclusive testimonies indicate that key managers were receiving high-end trucks ($90,000 USD) and trips as “extra-legal” benefits. The report reveals the allegations, links to shell companies, and the crucial evidence that is still needed to bring these cases to justice.
Employees and sources close to PDVSA have reported a systemic corruption in the San Tomé area and the Orinoco Oil Strip: allocating and billing fictitious contracts, cash payments, and “gifts” (vehicles, trips, and private parties) to officials who would facilitate the scheme. There are judicial backgrounds and arrests for corruption in the Strip, but several concrete accusations — names, flashy vehicles, and specific payments — currently rely on internal sources and need to be confirmed in court.
The Orinoco Oil Strip is once again at the center of serious corruption allegations. Internal reports collected from workers and operational sources in San Tomé describe a presumed bribery scheme where the currency of exchange was not only cash but also tangible luxury: high-end vehicles, private trips, and parties given to key managers in exchange for speeding up contracts and fraudulent billing.
Sources close to operations indicate that this practice had become normalized in certain decision-making centers. The pattern is clear: contractors identified as front men for power groups in Caracas benefited from allocations while officials allegedly received “extra-legal benefits” inconsistent with their public salaries, raising the red flag of illicit enrichment. Among the names circulating, executives like Mario Krejer are noted, attributed with an ostentatious lifestyle that includes the use of a Fortuner valued at over $90,000.
Workers and whistleblowers connected to the Orinoco Oil Strip operations in San Tomé describe a corruption scheme that would operate through extra-legal payments to key officials in exchange for contracts and the acceleration of disbursements.
Payments of “benefits”: Vehicles, trips, and parties
Several internal sources maintain that the delivery of luxury vehicles (particularly “Dubai” Fortuner models or equivalent high-end vehicles), international trips, and private parties were used as a form of extra-contractual payment to ensure contract allocations and facilitate fraudulent payments to contractors. These sources describe the practice as common and widespread in decision-making centers in the Strip.
Facade Scheme
Workers report the operation of a system of shell companies and front men linked to power groups in Caracas, used to divert public funds through contracts awarded in the Strip.
The lifestyle and suspicion of enrichment
Among the names mentioned in internal allegations is Mario Krejer, identified by close sources as a Director with significant influence in operational areas. These sources point to an ostentatious lifestyle inconsistent with his public salary.
For instance, his use of a “Dubai” Fortuner is noted, a model whose market value in the region is estimated to be around $90,000 to $95,000 (market review).
Although the existence of the vehicle and its valuation are concrete data, these accusations regarding specific assets and amounts haven’t been found in public records reviewed by this team. They are recorded as information from close sources that requires documentary verification (invoices, import records, or registered titles).
The fraudulent machinery
Internal whistleblowers claim that the awarding and billing of fictitious or overpriced contracts were facilitated by certain managers who, in return, received these commissions or goods. There are still missing minutes, purchase orders, or public accounting documents to legally support each specific case.
The practices described by workers — shell companies, overpricing, delivery of goods — fit into patterns already reported in other major PDVSA scandals. The difference now lies in the precision of the names, vehicles, and amounts that need to be backed up with documentary evidence or judicial statements to become prosecutable accusations.
Research Path
The Orinoco Oil Strip has historically been a hub of multi-million dollar contracts, where operational complexity (logistics, mixed companies, services) creates a breeding ground for opacity and corruption. Official anti-corruption measures have led to arrests, but the challenge of asset recovery and transparent sanctioning persists.
The internal allegations about cash payments, luxury vehicles, and trips in exchange for contract awards in San Tomé affirm a systemic corruption pattern in PDVSA. There are precedents for investigations and arrests in the Strip. However, specific accusations concerning particular individuals and assets (like Mario Krejer’s Fortuner for $92,000) currently rely on close sources and testimonies without formal judicial establishment.