In an interview with the Infobae media, Hugo Velázquez pointed to the former head of state Horacio Cartes and referred to the photos that link him to Hezbollah. “It doesn’t make me part of anything,” he said.
Hugo Velázquez spoke about the case of the Venezuelan-Iranian plane passing through Paraguay last May, 20 days before being detained in Buenos Aires. In dialogue with Infobae, he accused former president Horacio Cartes of doing business with alleged terrorists and referred to the photos that link him to Hezbollah militants.
“There are several hypotheses (about the arrival of the plane) and that is already in the hands of the security and investigation agencies that must discover what really happened. What is certain and concrete is that this plane with a crew of alleged terrorists entered Paraguay to carry Tabesa cigarettes, owned by Horacio Cartes, “he told Infobae.
Velázquez also said that if the Money Laundering Commission that is investigating the case calls him to testify, he will attend the appointment. “As a person who firmly believes in democracy and, as the Vice President of the Republic that I am, I must appear before an organ or a State Power such as Congress, if they summon me.”
Asked about the alleged links with Hezbollah and a trip to Lebanon he made a few years ago, before becoming vice president, Mario Abdo’s partner replied: “I did not have, I do not have, nor will I ever have any links with groups or factions that do not respect human rights. The reason for the trip to Lebanon was an official visit in 2015, following an invitation from the Lebanese government and parliament to the Chamber of Deputies. At that time, I was president of said chamber and I was accompanied by eight legislators from different parties.”
