The U.S. senator has called for an investigation into a former member of Congress’ business dealings with Venezuela

(File) Former Republican Congressman David Rivera from Florida during the 2010 campaign – Getty Images North America / AFP

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez again on Wednesday (April 4) asked the government to investigate whether former Republican Congressman David Rivera made “background deals” with Nicolas Maduro’s government in violation of the law without registering him as a foreign agent.

Rivera, a former Florida state congressman, is said to have received millions of dollars to provide “strategic consulting services” to Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA, Democrat Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement.

Through its Florida-based firm Inter-American Consulting, Rivera reportedly reached an agreement with PDVSA in 2017 to provide “strategic consulting services” through a $ 50 million agreement with a US-based subsidiary (PDV USA). The note states that he actually received $ 20 million.

The purpose of the agreement is to enhance the PDVSA’s “long-term reputation and reputation” in the United States.

Several reports and current lawsuits suggest that Rivera must have been registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) for his work for the Venezuelan government, Menendez added.

“If Rivera had done the work required to register under the Farah Act, it would have been imperative for the judiciary to confirm that he was held accountable,” Senator Attorney General Merrick Garland wrote in a letter.

“The American people deserve to know if a former member of Congress is doing business on behalf of a dictator responsible for committing crimes against humanity in Venezuela,” Mendez said, referring to Maduro, who is not recognized by the United States. The Venezuelan president, who was re-elected in 2018, considered the fraud.

In addition, the senator complains that there has been “apparently no progress” in the case over the past two years, and he has complained to the judiciary about these allegations.