Valentina Cabrera Medina

Practice Areas

Commercial and Corporate

Corporate

Energy

Mergers and Acquisitions

Mining

Project Finance

Real Estate and Construction

Taxation

Career

•Specialization in Hydrocarbons and Mining Law. Universidad Monteávila (UMA).

•Post-Graduate in Financial Law. Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (UCAB). 2006

•“Cum Laude” Lawyer. Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (UCAB). 1997.

Professional Memberships

He is the former Secretary General of the Venezuelan Tax Law Association (AVDT) and member of the Tax and Capital Markets Committees at VenAmCham; and of the Tax Committee of the Venezuelan Institute of Finance Executives (IVEF).

Manuel is also a former member of the Boards of Directors of La Bolsa de Valores de Caracas, C.A.; Cervecería Modelo C.A.; Mavesa, S.A.; Telares Palo Grande, S.A.C.A.; Banco Caracas, S.A.C.A.; Sociedad Financiera Provincial; Banco Hipotecario de Aragua, C.A.; Arrendadora Industrial, C.A.; Seguros La Metropolitana, S.A.; and of the Venezuelan Institute of Finance Executives (IVEF).

Languages Spoken

Spanish and English

Experience

•Legal, corporate and tax advice to national and transnational food and beverage companies, including general advice in tax, foreign exchange, contractual and investment protection matters. Years 2000 to date.

•Advice regarding participation in Open International Bids called by PDVSA Servicios Petroleros, S.A. for the contracting of offshore services. January – February 2013.

•Advice for the implementation of Social Responsibility projects to be performed in relation to services rendered to Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. November 2012 – February 2013.

•Advice and participation in negotiations conducted with municipal authorities for the determination and payment of the Business Asset Tax, achieving significant reductions in the contingencies initially determined by the relevant authorities. Year 2012.

•Advice in the legal, tax and contractual areas for the negotiation between the mixed companies and CVP for the exploration and production of extra-heavy crude oil, including advice on matters of local and international taxation, on matters of investment protection and structuring and support in advice for the negotiation of Double Taxation Avoidance Conventions. 2008 to date.

•Advice in contractual, tax and maritime matters to oil service companies for both the purchase and refinancing of drilling rigs. September 2009 – November 2010.

•Advice in contractual, public works and tax matters to Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. and PDVSA Servicios, S.A., for the structuring and negotiation of Drilling Services Agreements for offshore gas exploration, acting as negotiator and local legal counsel. September 2009 to date.

•Advice in all legal and fiscal matters for the development of offshore drilling activities, including advice in customs matters, the structuring of service contracts with suppliers, subcontractors and the handling of expatriates. From 2008 to date.

•Advice in contractual, public works and tax matters for the structuring and negotiation of an Engineering, Procurement and Construction contract with a mixed oil company for the installation of a Power Plant, consisting of four generator engines, each of 11MW, for the production area of mixed oil companies, acting as negotiator and legal counsel to Wärtsilä. March 2010 – December 2012.

•In the legal, tax and contractual area for the negotiation with PDVSA Servicios, S.A. of a mixed company for the rendering of services to the oil industry. Year 2009.

•Advice in contractual and tax matters for the subcontracting of local construction companies under the framework of the performance of an Engineering, Procurement and Construction contract for the installation of a Power Plant, consisting of four generator engines, each of 11MW, for the production area of mixed oil companies, acting as negotiator and legal counsel to Wärtsilä. March – April 2010.

•Advice in the legal and contractual aspects for the negotiation of an Engineering, Procurement and Construction Contract for the expansion of the capacity of the High-Density Plant located in the Zulia Petrochemical Complex, to increase it to 160,000 MTY. Year 2007.

•Advice to lenders in the operation of a loan led by JBIC, Mitsui and Marubeni in the amount of USD 3.5 billion to PDVSA, implementing financial and commercial guaranties, including the implementation of Offtake Agreements to guarantee the debt. Years 2001, 2003 and 2006.

•Advice in the corporate and tax area for the restructuring of petrochemical companies. From 2005 to 2008.

•Advice in legal, corporate and tax areas to companies and strategic associations created for the development and production of extra-heavy crude oil in the Orinoco Oil Belt. 2001 to 2005.

•Legal and tax advice in the structuring and restructuring of international companies to and from Venezuela, to protect and optimize investments in such areas as: energy, agribusiness, public works, basic and intermediate industries and also the financial, services and business sector in general. From 2000 to date.

•Advice in legal, corporate, tax and public law areas to companies in the agribusiness sector, including advice for the negotiation of conflicts with agricultural producers, both in the restructuring of the company and as legal support in expropriation matters. From 2006 to 2009.

•Advice and support to experts in trade arbitration (ICC) regarding conflicts generated in relation to the construction and maintenance of a urea and ammonia plant. 2003 to 2005.

•Legal, tax and corporate advice to gas processing companies, including advice in project finance, such as general tax advice. From 2001 to 2007.

•Corporate and tax advice to power companies with respect to their investment in domestic gas production and transportation companies, including tax advice and equity restructuring of the company. 2001 to 2006.

•Advice in the legal, corporate and tax areas for the negotiation of a vertically-integrated project for the exploration and development of natural gas under a license system in the Yucal Placer North and Yucal Placer South blocks. Such project included contractual advice to local partners for the negotiation of the Association Agreement and the Project Finance, and the incorporation of an operator vehicle. 2001 to 2002.

•Advice to local investor of the East Golfo de Paria Project, with respect to a project for the extraction of medium crude oil. 1999 to 2001.

•Advice in the financing of the Hamaca project for the extraction of extra-heavy crude oil in the Orinoco Oil Belt for upgrade and sale, for both the sponsors (Arco, Phillips Petroleum, Texaco and PDVSA) and the project participants. Advice was further provided for contracting senior debt in the amount of USD 1.1 billion. Year 2001.

•Advice in the VLNG Project (formerly Cristóbal Colón, now Mariscal Sucre) and the structuring of the tax aspects of the project, such as authorizations relating to a liquefied natural gas project on the Northern Coast of Paria. Year 2001.