2018:
President Maduro and Billionaire CEO Lorenzo Mendoza Reached an Agreement
In 1992, Lorenzo
Mendoza became CEO of Empresas Polar, a Company founded by his grandfather.
Polar is the largest private company in Venezuela with $7 billion in annual
sales. Polar manufactures and distributes PAN, that accounts for about 50% of
the national production of pre-cooked corn flour which is used daily by most
Venezuelan households to make arepas. Mendoza’s net worth was estimated at $2
billion in 2021.[1]
President Hugo Chavez blamed Mendoza for shortages of
PAN and other products in grocery stores. He accused Mendoza of hoarding
products to create empty shelves and long grocery store lines. Criticism of
Mendoza continued under President Maduro who called Mendoza a “bandit, thief,
oligarch, traitor.”
In October
2015, President Maduro called for the prosecution of Mendoza for treason for allegedly
holding negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) about a loan of
$40 billion with the aim of surrendering control of the Country to the IMF.[3][1]
The National Assembly voted to file charges of conspiracy and “usurpation of
state functions” against Mendoza with the Attorney General.[4] Mendoza was
never charged and never arrested.
Between 2015
and 2016, 40 Polar managers were arrested.[5] Over a ten-year period,
authorities inspected Polar facilities more than 4800 times.[6] In 2016, state
intelligence agents were stationed at the gates of Polar’s headquarters.
Mendoza said armed and masked officers from the intelligence agency were also
stationed outside his residence.[2] Mendoza held press conferences and
denounced harassment of his Company and family. On January 20, 2017, the
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) granted precautionary
measures in favor of Mendoza and his family based on accusations that they were
at risk due to accusations and acts of harassment from high state
authorities.[5]
In 2017,
several surveys showed that Mendoza was the preferred candidate to oppose
Maduro in the 2018 Presidential election. Several marches were held to promote
his candidacy.[7] In February 2018, Mendoza ruled out running.[7]
Sometime in
mid-2018, under pressure from his family, Mendoza sought contact with Tareck El
Aissami, Vice President of the Economy.[8] The New York Times published
an article in 2020 that reported on the subsequent meeting: [8]
·
“According
to five people briefed on the meeting, Mendoza’s efforts culminated in a
meeting in 2018 with Cilia Flores, Venezuela’s powerful first lady. The result
of this meeting was an informal pact that remains in effect to this day:
Mendoza would step out of the public eye and the government would stop harassing
the company. Mendoza then suddenly
disappeared from the public eye and Maduro stopped calling him a ‘thief’, a ‘parasite’
and a ‘traitor.’ The government stopped harassing Polar with annoying
inspections….”
In 2024, the
IACHR lifted the 2017 precautionary measure because “after more than seven
years, there is no known occurrence of any type of act related to Lorenzo
Mendoza or his family.” [5]
1.
Republica,
Redaccion La, Who is Lorenzo Mendoza, one of the richest men in Venezuela,
and what company does he own? 9/26/2022
2.
Reuters,
Venezuela food company Polar denounces harassment by intelligence agents, October
31, 2016.
3.
VOA,
Venezuela’s President Calls for Prosecution of Food Magnate, October 19,
2015
4.
Tico
Times, Venezuelan beer magnate accused of treason, October 22, 2015.
5.
IACHR,
Resolution to Lift Precautionary Measures 97/2024, December 16, 2024
6.
Americas
Quarterly, 10 People who will (One Day) Rebuild Venezuela: The Captain of
Industry, April 18, 2018.
7.
Reuters,
Billionaire businessman Mendoza rules out Venezuelan election run-sources, February
15, 2018.
8.
New
York Times, From ‘parasites’ to partners: this is how Venezuelan socialism
does business, February 25,2020.
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