THE SHADY CONNECTION BETWEEN CLAURE AND CARLOS GILL IN THE LITHIUM BUSINESS
Marcelo Claure is once again at the center of the storm due to his partnership with Paraguayan-Venezuelan Carlos Gill Ramírez, a businessman close to the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS).
In recent days, new allegations have emerged regarding his approaches to Samuel Doria Medina and Andrónico Rodríguez, seeking to secure privileged access to Bolivian lithium.
Li3 Energy Holding: the gateway
In November 2023, Claure and Gill founded the company Li3 Energy Holding SL in Madrid, with an initial capital of one million euros.
The firm presents itself as an energy company, but its documents point to a central interest: Bolivian lithium, a strategic resource and "white gold" that MAS has historically managed with irregularities.
Journalistic sources and financial reports indicate that the partnership was designed as a platform for the exploitation and export of the mineral to international markets.
Gill, one of MAS's favorite businessmen, owner of media outlets such as La Razón and El Extra, consolidated his fortune thanks to business deals and contracts during Evo's government. Leaked documents describe him as a key figure in economic and political operations for MAS.
He is a 50% partner of Ferroviaria Andina and Oriental, the only ones capitalized in the 90s that Morales did not nationalize. He has woven an investment network in Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay, aimed at covering the route of the bi-oceanic train. The megaproject has active support from the Government of Bolivia.
Tailor-made contracts and rigged subcontracts
Investigations confirm that Gill uses subcontracts and direct contracts as mechanisms to favor MAS. He secures multimillion-dollar contracts with the State that later return to his companies through subcontracts.
In the cable car network project in La Paz and El Alto, Gill admitted to being a partner of Cotienne S.A., a subcontractor of Garaventa and Doppelmayr Bolivia S.A. Cotienne received awards for more than 13 million bolivianos with "Mi Teleférico."
The pattern repeats itself in gas contracts: the construction of 22 regasification stations for more than 162 million bolivianos and the provision of 13 state-of-the-art radars from Thales Air Systems S.A.S.
Tuto Quiroga has publicly pointed to Gill as "Maduro's front man" due to his ties with Chavismo. According to Quiroga, he secured business with the State in exchange for politically and media-wise favoring Evo.
Political alliances and pacts in the shadows
In 2025, Claure has been linked to both Doria Medina and Andrónico Rodríguez, socialist presidential candidates. The accusations suggest that he is exploring pacts with both to guarantee control of lithium regardless of the electoral outcome.
Protected by political networks and high-level agreements, meanwhile, the people suffer from inflation, blackouts, and energy poverty, lithium becomes a bargaining chip. The move is clear: Claure seeks to ensure that, no matter who wins, lithium remains under his sphere of influence.
With the Claure–Gill partnership, Bolivia faces a scenario of covert privatization, a multi-million-dollar business that directly threatens national sovereignty.
