Trial against 19 accused of corruption began in Venezuela

Caracas, Mar 29 (Prensa Latina) The hearings of 19 people linked to the corruption case, known here as Pdvsa-Cripto, and of three judges associated with the plot, began in Venezuela.

March 29, 2023
11:55

In a message published last night on his Twitter account, the Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, gave an account of the fact, announcing that the Public Prosecutor’s Office will request for all of them, including a woman, the ‘deprivation of liberty’.

A video accompanying the tweet showed the moment in which those involved: officials of the state-owned company Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), of the National Superintendence of Crypto-assets (Sunacrip), judges and businessmen, arrived at the Coordination of Aeronautical Operations of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service(Sebin).

In the premises of the (Sebin) the hearings began before the 2nd Control Judge against corruption and terrorism, Carlos Liendo, who was accompanied by two prosecutors with national jurisdiction, the newspaper Última Hora reported.

All the detainees were charged with appropriation or distraction of public patrimony, money laundering and association, and influence peddling, among other crimes, in addition to the fact that the officers will be charged with treason.

This was announced last Saturday by the head of the Public Prosecutor’s Office in a press conference, in which he explained the details of the corruption case, which he himself considered as one of the ‘most shocking’ plots of the last years in the country.

As head of the corruption structure, Colonel Antonio Perez Suarez, Vice-President of Commerce and Supplies of Pdvsa, who was in civil administrative service, was identified, together with Joselit de La Trinidad Ramírez Camacho, National Superintendent of Sunacrip.

Also accused are former deputy Hugbel Rafael Roa Carucci, and lieutenant colonel José Agustín Ramos, director of Security of the Orinoco Oil Belt (Faja Petrolífera del Orinoco).

Other accused are Yamil Alejandro Martínez, Odoardo José Bordones; Heinrich Chapellín Biundo and Jesús Enrique Salazar, all officials of the Vice-Presidency of Commerce and Supply of PDVSA, and Rajiv Alberto Mosqueda and Renny Gerardo Barrientos, of the Office of Digital Mining and Associated Processes.

According to Última Hora, the woman is Johana Torres, Roa’s right hand, who is also held responsible for alleged links with a prostitution network.

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