The Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice has declared admissible the extradition request made by Venezuela for Spain to send to them two former main managers of the Hesperia hotel, accused of committing a continuous fraud.
These decisions are contained in sentences 461 and 462 drafted by Judge Elsa Gómez and supported by her colleagues Maikel Moreno and Carmen Marisela Castro.
The investigation into the alleged fraud detected at the Hesperia Hotel in Valencia (Carabobo) began on February 8 following a complaint filed with the Victim Assistance Unit of the Carabobo High Court.
The complaint stated that José Rodríguez Álvarez and Marcos Rodríguez Sánchez held very important positions within the hotel between 2009 and 2023. For this reason, the Shareholders’ Meeting decided on October 9, 2023 to remove Rodríguez Álvarez from the presidency of Hesperia and appoint José Antonio Castro in his place, who later detected that the hotel was only generating losses.
The hotel’s new management reviewed the procedures and realized that the suppliers’ prices were very high compared to the national market.
Similarly, through a preliminary analysis, they discovered that these supplier companies were owned by José Rodríguez Álvarez.
The review by the new Hesperia administration also found that Álvarez allegedly gave away rooms without the approval of the partners: in 2020, more than 6,584 rooms; in 2021, he gave away 5,155 rooms, in 2022, he gave away 3,803 rooms, and in 2023, there were 2,331 rooms.
In those four years, losses from this concept amounted to 1.9 million dollars, according to the complaint.
The initial investigation also indicates that there are indications of embezzlement in the banquet area due to the unauthorized hiring of musical group members, flowers, and food at “excessively expensive” prices.
It was also explained in the complaint filed with the Superior Prosecutor’s Office that days before leaving office, Álvarez stole from the cash register without prior authorization from the partners, the amount of 35 thousand dollars.
In light of these facts, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, represented by the 1st Prosecutor’s Office of Carabobo, issued an arrest warrant against Álvarez and other former managers of Hesperia, considering that they are allegedly involved in continued aggravated fraud and association.
The request from the Public Prosecutor’s Office was approved on May 20 of this year by the First Control Court of Caracas, which issued the arrest warrants.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office subsequently obtained information related to the arrest in Spain of Álvarez and Sánchez, and therefore requested the initiation of extradition proceedings. On July 31, the 1st Control Court of Carabobo agreed to initiate the extradition of the former Hesperia managers and forwarded the file to the Criminal Court for consideration.
The judges confirmed that all documents in the extradition procedure were in order and consequently declared it admissible.
The Court took the opportunity to ratify the prohibition of the trial taking place in the absence of the accused, which would violate his right to defense, among others. That is why, by declaring the extradition admissible, the Criminal Court committed itself to the Kingdom of Spain that Álvarez and Sánchez will be tried with the due guarantees enshrined in the Venezuelan Constitution.
