A total of 51 people have been deprived of liberty for being involved in different acts of corruption in the countryindicated this Wednesday the Attorney General of the Republic, Tarek William Saab.
At a press conference, William Saab explained that among these people are those related to the PDVSA-Crypto cases, the CVG case, as well as detained judges and officials.
“To date, there are 51 people deprived of liberty for the various corruption schemes, including that of PDVSA-crypto, the CVG, and the detained judges. When we add all this up, the figure reaches 51 people who placed themselves outside the law,” said the Attorney General.
In this sense, he stated that, so far, the Public Ministry is investigating 31 corruption schemes within the PDVSA industry.
Specifically, of the 31 corruption schemes, 127 people are under investigation, 10 preliminary, 16 on trial and 75 convicted, for a total of 228 in the PDVSA Crypto case.
PDVSA-Crypto plot
Regarding this PDVSA-Crypto plot, the Attorney General indicated that 34 people are being prosecuted.
In total, only in the oil industry – explained William Saab – 262 people have been prosecuted for corruption crimes.
Among the detainees are: Joselit Ramírez Camacho, Antonio Pérez Suárez, José Agustín Ramos, Yamil Martínez, Odoardo José Bordones, Heinrich Chapellín, Jesús Enrique Salazar and Rajiv Alberto Mosqueda.
Also detained are Renny Gerardo Barrientos, Hugbel Roa, Manuel Meneses, Rogers Ramírez Dorante, Rafael Perdomo, Roger Perdomo, Daniel Prieto, Kristhonfer Barrios and Johanna Torres.
Adding to the list are Alejandro Arroyo, Bernardo Arosio, Fernando Bermúdez, Leonardo Torres, Jackeline Perico, José Lima, Jesús Ramírez, José Luís Silva, Gustavo Carmona and Juan Moreno.
Similarly, Pedro Fernández, Oscar Rojas, Jean Golman Meyer, Cardozo González, Luis Guzmán and Miguel Irigoyen are deprived of their liberty.
New revelations in Rafael Ramírez corruption plot
On the other hand, he referred to the information revealed by different national and international media, about the corruption plot that is registered in PDVSA and that involves the fugitive from justice Rafael Ramírez.
In this regard, he recalled that Venezuela is investigating approximately 10 cases involving Ramírez in crimes of corruption and money laundering while he was president of PDVSA.
In this case, he is referring to Rafael Reiter, former PDVSA security chief, who agreed to collaborate with the US justice system.
Regarding this, he stated that all those involved “must all be handed over without exception to the Venezuelan justice, it is not understood how these subjects, outside the law, have the ‘toupee’ the self-confidence, to give it to them as political persecuted and declare against the Venezuelan authorities in those countries”.
In this regard, he stated that what was disclosed by different media shows that the investigations are correct.
“What confirms what was disclosed yesterday is that the Public Ministry was right from the beginning, it is not a fact that they can transfer to the fact that it was a political fact. Since when is corruption and embezzlement a political fact?” stressed.
Requests for extradition of those involved in corruption ratified
“We re-ratify the demand to the US, Spain and Italy that they hand over the people and that they be tried in Venezuela for the crimes they committed here,” he said.
“The call has been reiterated, I even dare to say that the extradition requests that we have made specifically to the governments of Italy and Spain have been reiterated so that they hand over these criminals who live in golden exile to us,” said the Attorney General.
In the US investigationsalso names Diego Salazar, who was imprisoned in Venezuela.
Salazar, along with Nervis Villalobos, former Vice Minister of Electric Power, and Ramírez participated in a money laundering criminal organization that “would have laundered, between October 2011 and November 2012 alone, the amount of 1,347 million 339 thousand 972 euros.”
Operation “Whoever falls”
Since Friday last march 17, the National Police against Corruption began the operation “Caiga quien caya”. This as part of the actions promoted by the National Government to deal with this scourge in public and private institutions and companies.
Until now, the phases of the operation have revealed the criminal networks associated with the PDVSA-Cripto, CVG and Cartones de Venezuela cases.
Regarding Cartones de Venezuela, the Attorney General explained that there is only one person in custody, and that he is linked to that of the CVGespecially with the former president of the industry, Pedro Maldonado, who is in custody.
In this case, it responds to the person of Hugo César Cabezas Bracamonte.
In this sense, the Attorney General stressed that new arrests for acts of corruption are not ruled out.
“Other arrests could come, because the investigation phase, they (the detainees) have confessed and have led us to other plots, and within that process, of interviews, of presentations, new elements emerge,” said William Saab.
In this regard, President Nicolás Maduro has reaffirmed and demonstrated his commitment to impart justice against those who decided to rob the people.
“We are going to stop the corrupt, whoever falls. I call on the people to this great battle that we are waging for values, against corruption, mafias, and indolence,” stressed the Venezuelan president, about this operation against corruption.
