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'''Derwick Associates''' is a primarily ] company that “provides engineering, procurement and power-plant construction services". During an energy crisis in Venezuela in 2009-2010, Derwick won several contracts to construct and provide supplies for a number of ] in that country and has been the subject of scrutiny.<ref name=UltimasNoticias>{{cite web |url=http://www.ultimasnoticias.com.ve/noticias/actualidad/economia/compras-con-sobreprecio-en-la-emergencia-elect--1-.aspx |title=Compras con sobreprecio en la emergencia eléctrica |author=César Batiz |date=September 26, 2011 |publisher=Ultimas Noticias |accessdate=November 25, 2012}}</ref><ref name=UltimasNoticiasDos>{{cite web |url=http://www.ultimasnoticias.com.ve/movil/detallenota.aspx?idNota=109363 |title=Ipys premia serie "Trampas Eléctricas" de ÚN |author= |date= |publisher= |accessdate=November 25, 2012}}</ref><ref name=SoberaniaDos>{{cite web |url=http://www.soberania.org/Articulos/articulo_6691.htm |title=Bariven compró con sobreprecio |author=César Batiz |date=September 18, 2011 |publisher=Soberania |accessdate=November 25, 2012}}</ref><ref name=SoberaniaTres>{{cite web |url=http://www.soberania.org/Articulos/articulo_6706.htm |title=Bariven adquirió equipos eléctricos con $403,7 millones de sobreprecio |author=César Batiz |date=September 27, 2011 |publisher=Soberania |accessdate=November 25, 2012}}</ref> '''Derwick Associates''' is a ] ] company. During an energy crisis in Venezuela in 2009-2010, Derwick won several contracts to construct and provide supplies for a number of ] in that country.<ref name=UltimasNoticias>{{cite web |url=http://www.ultimasnoticias.com.ve/noticias/actualidad/economia/compras-con-sobreprecio-en-la-emergencia-elect--1-.aspx |title=Compras con sobreprecio en la emergencia eléctrica |author=César Batiz |date=September 26, 2011 |publisher=Ultimas Noticias |accessdate=November 25, 2012}}</ref>


==Corporate history== ==Corporate history==
Derwick is currently registered in ], ], and ], and has also been registered in the U.S. In Barbados, the company registered on May 27, 2009, as Derwick Associates Corporation.<ref>Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office, , retrieved 4 Mar 2013.</ref> In Venezuela, where it was registered on October 28, 2009, it is called Derwick Associates de Venezuela SA. In Spain, where it was incorporated on 13 January 2011, it is called Derwick Associates International SRL.<ref name=Soberania>{{cite web |url=http://www.soberania.org/Articulos/articulo_6696.htm |title=Cable pelao en la electricidad |author=César Batiz |date= August 7, 2011 |publisher=Soberania |accessdate=November 25, 2012}}</ref><ref name=UltimasNoticias/><ref>Registro Mercantil Central, , retrieved 4 Mar 2013.</ref> In the U.S., it was registered on December 2, 2010, under the name Derwick Associates USA LLC.<ref name=Law>{{cite web |url=http://www.law.com/jsp/law/LawArticleFriendly.jsp?id=1202574639157 |title=Defamation Suit Seeks $300 Million in Damages From Venezuelan Bankers |author= |date= |publisher= |accessdate=November 25, 2012}}</ref><ref>Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, , retrieved 4 Mar 2013.</ref> Derwick is currently registered in ], ], ] and (although presently inactive there) the USA. In Barbados, where it was registered on May 27, 2009, the company is identified as Derwick Associates Corporation.<ref>Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office, , retrieved 4 Mar 2013.</ref> In Venezuela, where it was registered on October 28, 2009, it is called Derwick Associates de Venezuela SA. In Spain, where it was incorporated on 13 January 2011, it is called Derwick Associates International SRL.<ref>Registro Mercantil Central, , retrieved 4 Mar 2013.</ref> In the U.S., it was registered on December 2, 2010, under the name Derwick Associates USA LLC.<ref>Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, , retrieved 4 Mar 2013.</ref>

In a lawsuit filed in 2012, Derwick directors maintained that the firm was founded in 2007.<ref name=Law/>


==Directors== ==Directors==
The following individuals are listed as directors of the firm: Pedro Trebbau López, Leopoldo Alejandro Betancourt López, Gonzalo X. Guzman López (listed as Domingo X. Guzman De Frutos López as a director of the Barbados firm), Edgar Romero Lazo, and Iker Candida.<ref name=Soberania/><ref name=UltimasNoticias/> Betancourt, Trebbau, and Hernández are the officers of the United States-based firm.<ref name=UltimasNoticiasDos/> The following individuals are listed as directors of the firm: Pedro Trebbau López, Leopoldo Alejandro Betancourt López, Gonzalo X. Guzman López, Edgar Romero Lazo, and Iker Candida.<ref name=UltimasNoticias/>


==Venezuelan power station scandal== ==Venezuelan power station contract==
The firm was awarded 12 contracts for such installations in Venezuela during a 2009-2010 energy crisis in that country - their first contract of that kind. Four contracts were awarded by ] (which in December 2011 became part of ]), five by ] SA (PDVSA, with the contract negotiated by Bariven, a division of PDVSA), and one by the ] (CVG).<ref name=ElevenZolanoNews>{{cite web |url=http://www.elvenezolanonews.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=6679:guillermo-%C3%A1lvarez-con-la-verdad-por-delante&Itemid=116 |title=Con la verdad por delante |author= |date= |publisher= |accessdate=November 25, 2012}}</ref><ref name=Law/> The firm was awarded 12 contracts for such installations in Venezuela during a 2009-2010 energy crisis in that country. Four contracts were awarded by ] (which in December 2011 became part of ]), five by ] SA (PDVSA, with the contract negotiated by Bariven, a division of PDVSA), and one by the ] (CVG).


Bariven awarded contracts in 2010 amounting to more than $760 million for power plants to Derwick and two other intermediaries. Of that sum, the contracts awarded to Derwick amounted to $209 million. The $760 million sum included surcharges of over $403 million, of which just under $87 million were surcharges paid to Derwick. There were allegations of double billing by Derwick for the same parts.<ref name=UltimasNoticias/> In five of the contracts, Derwick was said to have failed to meet completion dates.<ref name=ElUniversal>{{cite web |url=http://www.eluniversal.com/2011/08/14/mesa-de-unidad-exige-investigar-plan-de-inversiones-electricas.shtml |title=Mesa de unidad exige investigar plan de inversiones electricas |author= |date= |publisher= |accessdate=November 25, 2012}}</ref> Bariven awarded contracts in 2010 amounting to more than $760 million for power plants to Derwick and two other intermediaries. Of that sum, the contracts awarded to Derwick amounted to $209 million. The $760 million sum included surcharges of over $403 million, of which just under $87 million were surcharges paid to Derwick. There were allegations by a journalist of double billing by Derwick for the same parts,<ref name=UltimasNoticias/> although none of these allegations were backed up by evidence.<ref name=UltimasNoticias/>

A journalist working for Venezuela's ] presented herself at Derwick's official address in Madrid, Spain in 201 and spoke over the intercom with a man who she reported had a Venezuelan accent and who, in answer to her question, told her that the building was not the headquarters of Derwick but was his residence.<ref name=Soberania/> According to prosecutors, former Venezuelan government minister Rodolfo Sanz, currently president of CVG, made a phone call from Derwick's office in the Pyramid Building in which he arranged a deposit of $500 million in the Gazprom Bank of Lebanon.<ref name=UltimasNoticiasDos>{{cite web |url=http://www.ultimasnoticias.com.ve/movil/detallenota.aspx?idNota=109363 |title=Ipys premia serie "Trampas Eléctricas" de ÚN |author= |date= |publisher= |accessdate=November 25, 2012}}</ref> In a later media account, however, Manuel Díaz recanted this allegation, refuting the charge.<ref name=Entornointeligente>{{cite web |url= http://www.entornointeligente.com/resumen/resumen.php?items=1057113|title=Sindicalista Manuel Díaz: nunca dije que el ex ministro Sanz se apropió de esos fondos |author= |date= |publisher= |accessdate=December 4, 2012}}</ref>

In November 2011, Derwick was accused of breaching payments to workers.<ref name=UltimasNoticasCuatro>{{cite web |url=http://www.ultimasnoticias.com.ve/noticias/ciudad/parroquias/obreros-paralizan-planta-termoelectrica-en-el-tuy.aspx |title=Obreros paralizan planta termoeléctrica en el Tuy |author= |date= |publisher= |accessdate=November 25, 2012}}</ref>

Derwick also contracted to supply a power plant for ], Venezuela's largest steel corporation, for over $700 million, which included a surcharge of $280 million. Although the plant was supposed to begin operation in May 2010, it was reported that construction had not yet gotten underway as of August 2012, quoting technicians close to the project saying that it “consists of reconstructed turbines and used equipment.”<ref name=EntornoInteligente>{{cite web |url=http://www.entornointeligente.com/articulo/1299466/Desmentido-a-la-informacion-de-Reporte-Caso-Leopoldo-Alejandro-Betancourt-Lopez-Los-chavechicos-10082012 |title=Desmentido a la información de Reporte: Caso Leopoldo Alejandro Betancourt López //Los chavechicos…. |author= |date= |publisher= |accessdate=November 25, 2012}}</ref> A Derwick official responded with a letter denying the charges in the report.


In February 2013 it was reported that Derwick had been largely responsible for the recent increase in generating capacity in the ] metropolitan area.<ref>''El Nacional'', 04 Feb 2013, Retrieved 13 Feb 2013.</ref> In February 2013 it was reported that Derwick had been largely responsible for the recent increase in generating capacity in the ] metropolitan area.<ref>''El Nacional'', 04 Feb 2013, Retrieved 13 Feb 2013.</ref>


==Legal activity== ==Donations==
César Batiz sued the Venezuelan Minister of Minerals and Petroleum in March 2012 for information about Derwick.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tsj.gov.ve/decisiones/spa/Abril/00384-25412-2012-2012-0372.html |title=El tribunal supremo de justicia |author= |date= |publisher= |accessdate=November 25, 2012}}</ref>

On September 13, 2012, Derwick Associates Corp. and its co-founders, Leopoldo Betancourt López and Pedro Trebbau López, filed a lawsuit in Miami-Dade Circuit Court, charging that it had suffered severe damage to its reputation as a result of actions by the Caracas-based bank ], by the bank's president and chairman, Oscar García Mendoza, and by Rafael Alfonzo Hernandez, a member of the bank's board. The suit, according to one account, “alleged defamation of Derwick, Betancourt and Trebbau; tortious interference with contract and with business relationships; deceptive and unfair trade practices; and civil conspiracy. The company is seeking preliminary and permanent injunctions as well as monetary damages.”<ref name=Law/>

The amount of damages specified in the lawsuit was $300 million.<ref name=Analitica>{{cite web |url=http://www.analitica.com/va/economia/opinion/3752001.asp |title=Derwick Associates demanda a Banco Venezolano de Crédito y a Oscar García Mendoza |author= |date= |publisher= |accessdate=November 25, 2012}}</ref> The premise of the lawsuit was that García Mendoza and Alfonzo Hernandez were connected with the anonymous Spanish-language website www.wikianticorrupcion.org, which had accused Derwick of criminal corruption.<ref name=ElMundo>{{cite web |url=http://www.elmundo.com.ve/noticias/economia/banca/demandan-al-banco-venezolano-de-credito-y-a-su-pre.aspx |title=Demandan al Banco Venezolano de Crédito y a su presidente |author= |date= |publisher= |accessdate=November 25, 2012}}</ref> Betancourt López said: “This legal action is not against freedom of expression, but against the practice of anonymous defamation. We have been the object of a campaign based on absolutely false charges.”<ref name=Analitica/> García Mendoza denied that he, the bank, or Alfonzo Hernandez had done any of the things they were charged with.<ref name=ElMundoDos>{{cite web |url=http://www.elmundo.com.ve/noticias/economia/banca/oscar-garcia-mendoza---tomaremos-las-acciones-que-.aspx |title=Oscar García Mendoza: “Tomaremos las acciones que sean necesarias” |author= |date= |publisher= |accessdate=November 25, 2012}}</ref><ref name=ElMundoTres>{{cite web |url=http://www.elmundo.com.ve/noticias/economia/banca/perfil---el-banquero-que-no--negocia-con-la-revolu.aspx |title=PERFIL: El banquero que no negocia con la revolución |author= |date= |publisher= |accessdate=November 25, 2012}}</ref>

==Other activities==
It was reported in August 2012 that Derwick Associates had paid $24 million for El Alamin, a 1,600-acre hunting estate in Toledo, Spain, for the personal use of Betancourt Lopez.<ref name=EntornoInteligente/>

In January 2012, Derwick donated funds for the construction of a football field in Sucre.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://globovision.com/articulo/ocariz-entrega-quinta-cancha-de-futbol-de-grama-artificial-en-sucre |title=Ocariz entrega quinta cancha de futbol de grama artificial en sucre |author= |date= |publisher= |accessdate=November 25, 2012}}</ref> In January 2012, Derwick donated funds for the construction of a football field in Sucre.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://globovision.com/articulo/ocariz-entrega-quinta-cancha-de-futbol-de-grama-artificial-en-sucre |title=Ocariz entrega quinta cancha de futbol de grama artificial en sucre |author= |date= |publisher= |accessdate=November 25, 2012}}</ref>


Revision as of 00:09, 6 March 2013

Derwick Associates
Native nameDerwick Associates de Venezuela SA
IndustryEnergy
FounderLeopoldo Betancourt López
Pedro Trebbau López
HeadquartersVenezuela
ProductsElectrical power
Natural gas
ServicesEngineering
Power-plant construction
Websitederwickassociates.com

Derwick Associates is a Venezuelan engineering company. During an energy crisis in Venezuela in 2009-2010, Derwick won several contracts to construct and provide supplies for a number of power plants in that country.

Corporate history

Derwick is currently registered in Barbados, Venezuela, Spain and (although presently inactive there) the USA. In Barbados, where it was registered on May 27, 2009, the company is identified as Derwick Associates Corporation. In Venezuela, where it was registered on October 28, 2009, it is called Derwick Associates de Venezuela SA. In Spain, where it was incorporated on 13 January 2011, it is called Derwick Associates International SRL. In the U.S., it was registered on December 2, 2010, under the name Derwick Associates USA LLC.

Directors

The following individuals are listed as directors of the firm: Pedro Trebbau López, Leopoldo Alejandro Betancourt López, Gonzalo X. Guzman López, Edgar Romero Lazo, and Iker Candida.

Venezuelan power station contract

The firm was awarded 12 contracts for such installations in Venezuela during a 2009-2010 energy crisis in that country. Four contracts were awarded by Electricidad de Caracas (which in December 2011 became part of Corpoelec), five by Petróleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA, with the contract negotiated by Bariven, a division of PDVSA), and one by the Venezuelan Guayana Corporation (CVG).

Bariven awarded contracts in 2010 amounting to more than $760 million for power plants to Derwick and two other intermediaries. Of that sum, the contracts awarded to Derwick amounted to $209 million. The $760 million sum included surcharges of over $403 million, of which just under $87 million were surcharges paid to Derwick. There were allegations by a journalist of double billing by Derwick for the same parts, although none of these allegations were backed up by evidence.

In February 2013 it was reported that Derwick had been largely responsible for the recent increase in generating capacity in the Caracas metropolitan area.

Donations

In January 2012, Derwick donated funds for the construction of a football field in Sucre.

References

  1. ^ César Batiz (September 26, 2011). "Compras con sobreprecio en la emergencia eléctrica". Ultimas Noticias. Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  2. Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office, Derwick Associates Corporation, retrieved 4 Mar 2013.
  3. Registro Mercantil Central, Derwick Associates International SRL, retrieved 4 Mar 2013.
  4. Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, Derwick Associates USA, LLC, retrieved 4 Mar 2013.
  5. El Nacional, 04 Feb 2013, 70% de nueva generación en 2012 se dirigió a Caracas, Zulia y Anzoátegui Retrieved 13 Feb 2013.
  6. "Ocariz entrega quinta cancha de futbol de grama artificial en sucre". Retrieved November 25, 2012.
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