{"id":2423,"date":"2016-03-29T11:20:29","date_gmt":"2016-03-29T11:20:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/armando.info\/?p=2423"},"modified":"2016-03-29T11:20:29","modified_gmt":"2016-03-29T11:20:29","slug":"javier-bertucci-the-pastor-who-preaches-as-an-importer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/armando.info\/en\/javier-bertucci-the-pastor-who-preaches-as-an-importer\/","title":{"rendered":"Javier Bertucci: The Pastor who preaches as an Importer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The \r\nair conditioning feels cool as soon as you enter the living room. The white \r\nplastic chairs are aligned. A group of young people test the sound and cameras, \r\nand the faithful of the Maranatha \r\nChurch in Venezuela<\/A> \r\n- the largest among others and with most followers in the country - begin to \r\nseat down. Some are focused on a reading; others just talk and catch up. At a \r\nglance, the room could hold about 300 people, but this time, it seems that it \r\nwill not be filled. The main star, Pastor Javier Bertucci, will not be heading \r\nthe ceremony today.<\/p>\n\n\r\n\n

While \r\nthe faithful sit down on the empty chairs, the band - made up of a young man on \r\nthe electric drum, another on keyboards, a guitarist, two choristers, and a \r\nleading singer - plays the first chords of the song welcoming to the temple. On \r\nthe three screens arranged in the room, the lyrics appear for the audience to \r\nsing along like in an Asian-style karaoke bar. I still believe that Christ is at \r\nmy side. He will\u2026 He will give me the blessing. Everybody sing with euphoria and \r\npassion, clapping and crying at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n

Music \r\nand praises to Jesus continue for over half an hour. Suddenly, everything stops. \r\nIn the screens that were showing the verses that the faithful were singing, a \r\nlive broadcast began in the midst of the precariousness inherent to the Internet \r\nservice in Venezuela, which offers the slowest connection speed in the \r\ncontinent. The public expects their main leader to speak, but another pastor \r\ncomes forward. He is Freddy Armas, director of the confraternity of pastors of \r\nthe state of Gu\u00e1rico. Armas says that he is tired because of all the work done \r\nin the region. He delivers parts of the Gospel and warns to those listening \r\n\"enough of criticizing and judging Pastor Javier Bertucci\". Everyone applauds \r\nand shout \"Amen.\" Before leaving, Armas requests an offering. On the other side \r\nof the screen, an envelope with the logo of the Church is passed around to the \r\nattendees, and one by one, they put cash, checks and even transfer vouchers in \r\nit.<\/p>\n\n\r\n\n

Pastor \r\nJavier Bertucci, referred to by Armas, is the leader of the Maranatha Church in \r\nVenezuela and director of El Evangelio Cambia (The Gospel Changes You), a Civil \r\nAssociation of a social nature, mainly formed by young people. It also has a \r\ntelevision program that airs Monday through Friday, early in the morning, on two \r\nnational television channels. But Bertucci is not dedicated to preaching the \r\nGospel only. In Venezuela, he was accused of smuggling Diesel, as indicated in \r\nthe file of the Supreme Court of Justice, and is now a member of the board of \r\ndirectors of at least three companies engaged in the production and sale of \r\ngoods and services.<\/p>\n\n\r\n\n

In \r\nthe US state of Florida, Bertucci is the director of a medical equipment sales \r\ncompany. In addition, through the law firm Mossack Fonseca the pastor \r\nweighted \r\nup the possibility <\/I>of \r\nbeing the president of a company valued at 5 million US dollars in a tax haven, \r\naccording to a series of
e-mails sent to the German newspaper S\u00fcddeutsche \r\nZeitung that were checked for this investigation.<\/p>\n\n\r\n\n

Back \r\nto the Church and the live broadcast, it was Bertucci's turn. People listen to \r\nhis stirring speech, a deep voice and an eloquence envied by any politician in \r\nthe country. During the preaching, Bertucci stops the quotations to the Bible to \r\nrefer to the meaning of the offerings and the money. As if trying to justify \r\nhimself to those present, he enumerate all the activities of Evangelio Cambia, \r\nand closes by saying: \"We are after something more than a handful of money. This \r\noffering was collected with absolute free will.\"<\/p>\n\n\n

\"\"
Envelop passed around during the service of the Maranatha Church requesting offerings<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

Over \r\n370 Venezuelans have used Mossack Fonseca or considered the possibility of \r\nbecoming its client. Based on the leaked e-mails, Bertucci wanted to chair \r\nStockwin Enterprises Inc, a company created in Panama on January 3, 2012, with a \r\ncapital of 5 million dollars, engaged in the purchase and sale of all kinds of \r\ninputs, but especially in the importation of raw materials for the food \r\nindustry.<\/p>\n\n\r\n\n

However, \r\nDesir\u00e9 Obadia, an intermediary client of the company and the person in charge of \r\nnegotiating with Mossack Fosseca, denies that the transaction has ever been \r\ncompleted. \"Pastor Bertucci wanted to be in my company to use it to import meat \r\nand sell it to his national company. But you need to get import license and \r\ndollars from Cadivi (National Foreign Exchange Administration Commission, the \r\nentity created by the Venezuelan state in 2003 to administer currencies) to \r\nimport. Both things were never achieved. If you bring food at a free-market \r\ndollar, no God will buy it,\" explained Obadia.<\/p>\n\n\r\n\n

Armando.info \r\ntried to contact Javier Bertucci on several occasions, but to the publication of \r\nthe report, no response was received. Five days after the story came to light, \r\nBertucci reacted through a statement explaining that \"the participation in \r\nStockwin Enterprises Inc to import meat products was considered in order to \r\nensure a transparent process and proper distribution in communities of scarce \r\nresources nationwide through the \u201cDays of Social Action\u201d developed by The Gospel \r\nChanges. It is worth mentioning that the initiative did not materialize and that \r\nI do not have the resources to own accounts in tax \r\nhavens.\"<\/p>\n\n\n

From Pastor to Entrepreneur<\/h2>\n\n\n

Javier \r\nBertucci was born in Guanare, state of Portuguesa, in western Venezuela. He was \r\nraised by his grandparents, and has humble origin. From a very young age, since \r\nhe grew up in the Venezuelan plains and because of his family influence, he was \r\ninvolved in cultivation lands. His first steps as a pastor began in Tinaquillo. \r\nThen, he moved to Valencia where he founded the Maranatha Church in Venezuela \r\nand later on the association of The Gospel Changes. He is married to Rebeca \r\nBarrios, also a pastor, and they have three children. His family and his wife\u2019s \r\nare both involved -in one way or another- with the Church. Rebeca and Javier are \r\ncalled \"mommy\" and \"daddy\" by their followers. And in their social networks they \r\nshow to be a united, affectionate family and, above all, devoted to Jesus. \r\nHowever, the other family businesses are not mentioned.<\/p>\n\n\r\n\n

Bertucci \r\nis, along with his preaching, an entrepreneur, a facet that he developed after \r\nbecoming a pastor in 1999. He is involved in the construction business in the \r\ncountry. He owns Construction \r\nCompany Constructora Bertucci C.A<\/A>, \r\nshares the company's management with his brother-in-law and pastor, Francisco \r\nBarrios, and is located in San Diego, state of Carabobo, in central Venezuela. \r\nAccording to the National Registry of Contractors, the National Glass \r\nCorporation C.A. and the Maranatha Foundation itself appear among its clients. \r\nTherefore, if there is a problem of masonry in the headquarters of the Church, \r\nthe construction company takes over.<\/p>\n\n\r\n\n

He \r\nalso appears as director of company Biometrix-Med \r\nEquipment Corp,<\/A> created \r\nin June 2013 with headquarters in Florida, engaged in buying and selling goods \r\nand services. He runs this company with Nicol\u00e1s E. Aular, a Venezuelan \r\nbusinessman, president of the business companies Gallery Aviation INC and Luxury \r\nAuto Sales USA INC, who was detained in 1998 and involved - according to the \r\nnewspaper Notitarde published at the time - in a case of trading imported \r\nvehicles \"of doubtful origin\" in Venezuelan territory.<\/p>\n\n\r\n\n

In \r\nan official statement, after the publication of the report, Bertucci denied any \r\nconnection with the company in Florida. \"The participation never materialized. \r\nIt was aimed to be used to acquire a series of second-hand dialysis equipment to \r\nimport it from the United States of America to Venezuela and then refurbish it. \r\nAfter being repaired, it would be donated to the communities for the use of \r\npatients suffering from kidney diseases in general,\" says the \r\nPastor.<\/p>\n\n\r\n\n

According \r\nto the records of Import \r\nGenius,<\/A> one \r\nof the largest port traffic databases in the world, Bertucci has imported \r\nproducts from the United States of America to Venezuela. The last import \r\nregistered in his name was made in January 2015, when he received the \r\nmanufacture of ceramics in Puerto Cabello by Port Everglades vessel. Previously, \r\nhe had imported microwave ovens, blenders, furniture, taps or faucets for \r\ndomestic use, refrigerator units, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t

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