Opinion ID: 215200
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Alleged Kickback Demand

Text: According to Validsa, in March 2008, Validsa’s principals Tomas Gonzalez (“Gonzalez”) and Pablo Cardenas (“Cardenas”) were approached by a Venezuelan businessman, Juan Carlos Chourio (“Chourio”), who demanded a $2 million kickback that he claimed was requested by Georges Kabboul (“Kabboul”), president of Bariven and PSI, to keep the contracts in place. Validsa asserts that Chourio has a family connection with Bariven’s third-highest-ranking officer, who Validsa claims is a close confidant of Kabboul’s. Bariven and PSI dispute some of these facts, as well as the import of the purported kickback demand. Kabboul, for instance, stated that he had never met Chourio and became aware of him only during this litigation. Additionally, PSI and Bariven point out what they say are inconsistencies in Validsa’s principals’ deposition testimonies about the kickback demand. Finally, PSI and Bariven dispute that there is any significance to the familial relationship between Chourio and the Bariven employee, stating that it is an attenuated relationship to an employee who has not been demonstrated to be involved in food procurement. 6