Escândalos financeiros na Venezuela

Venezuelan Leader Warns of Crackdown, no Wall Street Journal:

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez on Monday cast his country's banking crisis as part of a campaign to root out corruption, trying to turn the scandal to his advantage as a recession, inflation and crime erode his popular support.

Over the past week, the government has closed seven small banks -- accounting for between 8% and 12% of deposits in the country's banking system -- on charges that the banks were fraudulently run by their owners, many of whom have close ties to the Chávez administration.

Over the weekend, the crisis claimed its highest-profile victim with the resignation of Jesse Chacón, one of Mr. Chávez's closest allies, from the post of science and technology minister. Mr. Chacón's brother Arné was arrested Saturday in connection with the unfolding crisis. Neither Jesse nor Arné Chacón could be reached for comment.

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The crisis has shed light on a new class of rich people who have made money thanks to close ties to the government. In the local media, they are often referred to as "Boligarchs," or "Bolibourgeois," a play on the phrase "Bolivarian Revolution," coined by Mr. Chávez in honor of South American independence hero Simón Bolívar.

Last month, Venezuela was named the second-most-corrupt nation in the Western Hemisphere after Haiti, according to the 2009 corruption perception index from Transparency International, a nongovernmental organization that campaigns against corruption.

Analysts say Mr. Chávez, who has remained in power for more than a decade, could turn a bad situation to his advantage if he persuades Venezuelans he is serious about a crackdown.

"Chávez is now engaging in damage control, spinning this as an anticorruption drive, and that could sell politically," said Patrick Esteruelas, an analyst with political consultancy Eurasia Group.