The current situation surrounding the alleged $2 billion sovereign bond transfer by Venezuela’s Central Bank (BCV) to Kellmar Ltd and Tony Caplin is quite complex.
Nelson Merentes, the president of the BCV, has firmly stated that he never signed any documents pertaining to this transaction. If we take Merentes at his word, it remains unclear what legal actions he, the BCV, and the Venezuelan government will pursue against Kellmar Ltd and Tony Caplin for potential forgery of documents and signatures from Venezuelan officials, in what may be a sophisticated scam.
Sources familiar with the matter have confirmed that the signatures of Merentes and Eudomar Tovar on the documents in question are indeed authentic.
Tony Caplin has refrained from commenting over the phone about the legitimacy of the documents. Instead, he asked that any inquiries be sent to him via email. This indicates that both his mobile number and email address, as found in his CV attached to published documents, are valid.
Furthermore, another source indicates that Tony Caplin has acknowledged his involvement in the project referenced in the documents, which includes health initiatives in North, Central, South America, and CARICOM countries. He claims he was invited to participate by “a highly regarded law firm” from the USA. This admission points to a degree of authenticity regarding part of the information in the documents, particularly the project aspects, and also connects Caplin to the law firm Pruitt & Pruitt, based in Livingston, Alabama, as stated in the documents.
Michelle Penney, who is reportedly an officer at Credit Suisse in Rue de Lausanne, Geneva, and an alleged recipient of SWIFT MT760 instructions from BCV, was previously Credit Suisse’s “relationship manager covering Egypt and the UK.” Before this role, she worked for more than eight years at HSBC in London, Hong Kong, and Geneva. Requests for information sent to Ms. Penney, who is now with Morgan Stanley in Dubai, have yet to be addressed.
As stated in the documents, SWIFT MT760 refers to “a bank-responsible guarantee issued by the sender bank, at the behest of its account holder, for a specific transaction or counter-party. Since banks do not gamble with their own money, the clients’ funds are “blocked” by the bank, serving as security (collateral) for the SWIFT. Thus, the SWIFT MT760 is not just an inter-bank message; it’s a full-fledged cash-backed negotiable instrument.” Hence, the purported use of the SWIFT MT760 sent to Ms. Penney at Credit Suisse as collateral for Kellmar Ltd / Tony Caplin aligns with its legitimate application.
The SWIFT MT760 format found in the documents includes all the necessary information, as typically and genuinely required for such transactions.
The SWIFT code mentioned in the documents (CRESCHZZ80A) belongs to Credit Suisse. However, it’s important to note that this code does not correspond with any of the codes for the address details of Credit Suisse in Rue de Lausanne, which are part of the MT760.
As of this moment, Anthony “Tony” Caplin, who is the Chairman of a UK NHS Trust, Commissioner of the UK Public Works Loan Board (linked to HM Treasury), council member of the UK’s Medical Research Council, inactive within the Financial Services Authority register, and former Chief Operating Officer of England’s Conservative Party, has admitted to his involvement in constructing and managing health facilities along with the attorneys of Pruitt & Pruitt in Livingston, Alabama, using an alleged SWIFT MT760 sent to Credit Suisse in Geneva, backed by a $2 billion sovereign bond from the BCV.
Emails requesting comments from Caplin have gone unanswered. Similarly, inquiries sent via email and fax to Pruitt & Pruitt also remain unanswered. Requests for comments to Michelle Penney have yet to receive a response.
The Financial Services Authority and the Serious Fraud Office in the UK have been notified.
Venezuelan authorities have not yet provided any commentary regarding the investigations into the suspected forgery of official documents and signatures.