Ricardo Baeza. (Photo: TVN)

Foreign entrepreneurs report Chilean exporter’s scams

CHILE
Friday, April 29, 2016, 03:30 (GMT + 9)

Entrepreneurs from China and Russia, and also an Italian one based in Chile claim to have been victims of fraud committed by a Chilean fish exporter.

The person in question is Ricardo Baeza, a businessperson in the fisheries sector who, according to a report released this week by TVN, was involved in various deceptions of international scope.

In a video released on Monday, a Chinese entrepreneur interviewed by the news media accused Baeza, who he said used the nickname Ricardo Bronson, of having cheated him in an operation involving the purchase of 2,400 boxes of king crab for CLP 290 million (USD 429,000).

The cargo should go directly to the Chinese port of Shanghai, but it was diverted first to South Korea. And when it arrived in China, local authorities found that the certificate of origin and the health certificates were fake and, therefore, they rejected the containers.

When the importers were able to see what was inside, to their amazement they discovered that instead of the 2,400 boxes of king crab that had been agreed, there were only 50 boxes of this valuable crustacean. The rest of the boxes contained salmon and flying jumbo squid "with very bad odour".

The scam was reported immediately to the Embassy of Chile in China.

Chilean king crab is a product that is recognized worldwide for its quality, and China, in particular, is a very important market for Chile, so this incident could cause serious damage to its image.

In the same video, a Russian entrepreneur based in Argentina, engaged in salmon purchase and export, said he had agreed with Baeza on the purchase of 10 containers of premium salmon to be exported to Russia, totaling CLP 200 million (USD 285,960).

But those shipments, instead of going to the two Russian ports as it had been agreed, they were diverted from their route and ended in the United States. According to the complainant, this change in maneuver was intended to resell the products.

The Russian exporter finally managed to recover part of his order, but he ensures that the salmon he received had very bad appearance, as it looked "greenish".

Now, TVN reports that after the broadcast of the mentioned report, another case of an alleged scam involving the European entrepreneur Roberto Bindi has become known for an amount that exceeds CLP 450 million (USD 665,690).

The complainant says he is on the brink of bankruptcy after being scammed by Ricardo Baeza and his brother, who he sold salmon fillets to but he never received payment for the sale.

According to TVN, the Office of Valparaiso received two complaints of forgery of public documents, presented by SERNAPESCA and DIRECOM. The Chinese businessperson, meanwhile, filed a complaint in the same place, against Baeza and his brother.

Ricardo Baeza's attorney denies the facts on which his client is involved.

Click here to see TVN video.

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