Vcrisis, a website with a good track record covering Hugo Chavez of Venezuela — the proof is in the numerous attacks made on it by Venezuelan authorities — today charges that the dictator and his cronies are stashing millions of petrodollars overseas in banking havens. Presumably, the money could be used to fund covert ops or to feather the nests of the ruling elite if their hold on power slips away. Some highlights:  — Ricardo Fernandez Barrueco, a known front for the Chavez family, has opened dozens of offshore accounts in the tax havens of the world, both in the Caribbean and in Europe. His business organization, the Proarepa Group, is in truth and in fact owned by Chavez and his immediate family. — The Swiss private bank, Vontobel, which operates an unlicensed facility in Caracas, has seen senior Venezuelan military officers depositing large sums lately. When contacted by a prospective depositor using Fernandez Barrueco as a reference, the bank manager...(Read Full Post)