Venezuelan iron ore trader Commodities & Minerals Enterprise (CME) has lashed out at Greece’s Kyma Ship Management over allegations that it paid kickbacks to the trader’s own lawyer, who is accused of secretly acting as a broker in a bulker charter.

CME has filed federal lawsuits against Kyma affiliate Gretchen Shipping in New York and Florida alleging $14.6m in damages. It has also launched arbitration in New York over the allegations of fraud, according to legal documents.

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