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North American Opinion Research Inc.

By KA

05.03.06 | On Feb. 18th 2006 Vcrisis.com published an interesting investigation on the Venezuelan governments favorite polling agency North American Opinion Research. In this investigation it was discovered that the company is in fact registered in Florida, not Delaware or Pennsylvania. In addition, it was discovered that it shares the same office and phone number as PetroTulsa, a company which has its main office in Caracas but a branch in Florida.

North American Opinion Research
Alirio Valbuena - President
Kaysa - Makarem - Secretary

PetroTulsa
Julio Makaren - President
Kaysa Makarem - Secretary

As a side note NAOR accurately reported the outcome of the recall referendum in 2004 (contrary to all other polling agencies). Moreover, its current poll suggests that 66% of Venezuelans will vote for Chavez in the 2006 presidential elections. Coincidentally this is about the 10 million votes Chavez says he will get (66% times ~14.5 million registered voters = 9.57 million; but remember the CNE plans on increasing the number of registered voters by 2.2 million by then). Again these poll numbers are contrary to some of the most respected poll numbers and even results for the national assembly elections which showed an abstention rate above 75%.

Looking on PetroTulsa's web site they list the following companies as their associates:

Technical Well Services Inc.
Vatra Environmental Inc.
SCC Environmental
Plantas Móviles de Tratamiento del Lodos de Perforación

Out of curiosity I decided I would look for these companies in Florida. Interestingly enough this is what I found:

Vatra Environment Inc.
Julio Makarem - Secretary, Director, VP, and President
Monica Grijalba - President
Ricardo Valbuena - Director

Industrial Equipment Supply Inc.
Kaysa B. Makarem - President, and Director

Vatra Cintec Inc. (formerly known as Vatra Sintec Inc.)
Julio Makarem - President, and Director
Layla Makarem - Secretary, and Director

Do Note that Petrotulsa, NAOR, Vatra Cintec, and Industrial Equipment Supply all share the same address of 1549 NE 123Rd Street North Miami, FL 33181. While Vatra Environment Inc. has the address of 2525 Eagle Run Dr. Weston, FL 33327.

Addendum

The question then becomes, why do these companies have interrelated board members and some with the same address? Moreover, why don't the above mentioned companies have a web site or even results in a google search (excluding PetroTulsa).

In the article published by Vcrisis it was stated that the Makarem family have been involved in drug trafficking and arms smuggling. It was also stated that Julio Makaren and Juan Carlos Escotet, owner of the Banesco bank, continue in partnership in different ventures. If this is the case then, what are the links between the two if any? Looking in the business registry again in Florida, it was found that Escotet recently expanded the bank he heads into Florida with the approval of the FDIC to open a BBU bank.

Curiously back in 2003 Juan C. Escotet was reported to have said that military deposits account for around 10% of the bank's total deposits.. However, I nor anyone else apart from Escotet and few others, really knows the current actual figure especially after the revelation of huge corruption scandals involving military officials. But I would bet money on the fact that this number is a lot more now than 10%.

Therefore, it is no secret that the banks in Venezuela are making a lot of money in the Bolibanana Revolution, including the buying and selling of Argentinean bonds. So are some banks in cahoots with less than law abiding individuals, as members of the Makarem family are reported to be, and the military? Is this a symbiotic relationship to keep Chavez in power by all means necessary even by creating fake polling agencies, such as NAOR, so that both can siphon money out of Venezuela, where one group does it more "legally" than the other? Personally I find all these facts much more than mere coincidences.

Note: There is also a company headed by a Nidal Makarem called NM Services, INC. I am unsure whether this Makarem is related to those mentioned above. Perhaps someone could consult the Maisanta list on this one.

Addendum

It was brought to my attention that the president of Vatra Cintec Inc. a Matteo Pasquale and the VP/administrator a Antonio (Tony) Cinquino have a criminal records (note this Vatra Cintec was registered in Canada) you can read more here and here:

Matteo Pasquale has no prior criminal history but has relations with Mike Strizzi Italian organized crime.

Antonio (Tony) Cinquino has close connection to organized crime and has been charged with trying to import drugs in Canada, in 1990 with drug possession by the FBI, and again in 1994, and has ties to Italian organized crime (Mike Strizzi). What's more, an alumni newsletter of the Law faculty of McGill university in Montreal indicated the following in 1999 "Franco Pacetti, BCL/LLB ’89, has left Ogilvy Renault to become vice-president (Latin America and Caribbean) for Vatra-Cintec Inc., an environmental engineering and consulting firm. He lives in Venezuela and Barbados." (sic). Pacetti has been quoted as related with a scam worth more than €60 million in Romania. The Romanian Centre for Investigative Journalism has a most interesting entry on the Franco Pacetti: "The Pacetti Connection Our investigation got out to light several connections of the Cianciminos in Romania with Italians involved in international scandals, accused of relationships with Casa Nostra. We're talking about the Romanian company LFG, owned by Ecorec, controlled by the Pileri brothers, and co-associated with an offshore company from the Barbados Islands . LFG is managed by Franco Pacetti. The activity object is the production of industrial gas. Pacetti has also founded another company in Romania , Cindesol, who tried to take control of the Glina waste park before the Pileri brothers. Moreover, Cindesol is associated with Eco Gold Invest, a sanitation company active in Mangalia. Cindesol and Pacetti have several things in common. The company is registered at the same address in Barbados as the company CINTEC, where Pacetti is secretary-administrator. The name of Pacetti and CINTEC appeared in several investigative articles in San Salvador . The journalists from “El Diario de Hoy” discovered that behind the business with waste recycling in San Salvador by CINTEC there were Casa Nostra families from Canada and the United States . Alongside Pacetti, the name of Matteo Pasquale was also mentioned, the latter being also associated with Cindesol from Romania and the president of CINTEC in San Salvador . Pacetti's connections through CINTEC lead to persons convicted for drugs traffic and to groups involved in international drugs traffic – the Bonanos from New York and the Cinquinos from Canada." Pacetti has had issues with the Venezuelan justice.

In addition I was informed on this about Petrotulsa which was published by TalCual in 2000.

Translation:

In the Credival Tower, in the offices where the newspaper Crítica worked, now operates the Cooperative Association Petrotulsa, that is directed by Julio Makaren, ex- proprietor of the now missing zuliano newspaper, and Ricardo Valbuena, a man who was tie to the Bank of the Workers of Venezuela, BTV, and to its intervention. The two people are related to the businesses of the past [pre-Chavez] but they have known how to disguise themselves under the revolutionary rules.... By El Rosal [where Petrotulsa is located] they say that high ranking officials of the regime [Chavez govt.] are frequent visitors. They mention Luis Miquilena, Eduardo Semtei, Pablo Medina, the son of the minister of Energy. And more.

So based on this info. I think we can now see how Julio Makaren and Juan C. Escotet might have be associates or at least friends. Makaren has ties to the bank of the Workers of Venezuela and Escotet to Banesco. I guess being rich in the revolution isn't that bad.



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