Caracas, April 30 (RHC)-- Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has condemned the links of the country's extreme right in the corruption plot of the PDVSA-Crypto case, stating that the full weight of the law will fall on the guilty.
During his TV program Con Maduro +, the president assured that what is known so far is "barely one percent of what we have" and guaranteed that the investigation has produced compelling elements.
"A very corrupt mafia was formed that took advantage of the trust and power given to them not only to embezzle the country, not only to steal, but was articulated in a plan with the extremist right and with the Government of the United States. What could be a presumption (...) today is confirmed with evidence in hand, with statements, because one thing is what was revealed in the short time that the attorney general of the nation declared and another, furthermore, is the evidence that was obtained. "They had conversations, Zoom video conferences and the statements of those involved that tell the story of everything," he declared.
The Venezuelan president stated that they are investigating "many more things" and gave details about the PDVSA - Crypto case, following the new information provided by the country's attorney general, Tarek William Saab.
"As those conversations that the prosecutor announced today were revealed, they are from April and May 2020, and they already discussed that they had been working together for two years before that. This Mr. Samark López is the right hand of (Tareck) El Aissami, from the University of Los Andes. Our people should know (...) this entire corrupt group captured, investigated, convicted and confessed, all of them," he added.
President Maduro also commented that, according to the evidence they have uncovered, "since January 2018 they were in coordination with the conspiracy. What happened in 2018? The attack against me {with drones loaded with explosives]. They were aware of the attack against me, August 4 2018. What happened in 2019 on a day like tomorrow? Five years after the 'green bananas' coup. They were aware of the Altamira 'green bananas' coup, and were thus coordinated with Leopoldo López and the White House, directly with the Government, John Bolton and company, James Story."
The Venezuelan leader recalled that it will be four years since Operation Gedeón in which "they tried to invade Venezuela with a group that was already denounced as paramilitaries, as traitors. Some of the officers who were in the 'green bananas' attempt came, they were already coordinated. They were in knowledge of the 'green bananas' coup, the attack on Bolívar Avenue on August 4th and Operation Gedeón."
"They had an active conspiracy with Julio Borges, Carlos Vecchio was the great extortionist, because he was in charge of extortion. They extorted businessmen, etc., Carlos Ocariz. They were the great extortionists, they threatened people in Venezuela to issue arrest warrants on them. The United States, sanctions, and they asked for money; there was a large corruption network. We are finding out how much money they gave to Julio Borges, Leopoldo López, Carlos Vecchio, Carlos Ocariz and others, how much money in all those years. "They stole here and gave them money there, in addition to what they stole with Guaidó. This is a scandal, and the right was articulate," he said.
The Venezuelan head of state added that these people were also plotted to "destroy from within the economic recovery plan, which began to give results, 2021-2022, and they sabotaged us."
President Maduro announced that he will reveal more later because they are still in the middle of an investigation. "Alongside the great corruption, a great conspiracy was articulated, a great betrayal. What started first? We would have to see (...) they gave their morals, their soul, their spirit, they gave everything, but for the revolution be a revolution, first it has to be moral, and the morality of the revolution is guaranteed in that noble people that we have and in which there is justice, and in the professional, scientific Public Ministry that we have," he highlighted.
Likewise, he specified that the connection of the conspiracy "goes beyond Julio Borges, Leopoldo López, Carlos Ocariz, Vecchio and company. It goes much further. There will be big surprises, perhaps, in the coming days, but we are moving forward, whoever falls, from the right or from wherever, will fall."
The president said he was proposing a life sentence so that those people, if they did not fear Justice, would respect a sentence like that.
During his TV program, President Maduro spoke with a Chinese delegation present in the country to work together on the Special Economic Zones (SEZ) and announced the approval for the 52nd edition to be held in December of this year. And he announced that the World SEZ Forum in Caracas will be held the first time on the continent.
“China was a great power for millennia and has resumed the path it took in history with its ancient strength. China today is a superpower, the first superpower of a new era, not imperialist, not colonialist,” he highlighted.
The head of state also warned that the U.S. Government has prepared a conflict between Venezuela and Guyana. “What is the United States doing here in Guyana Essequiba? Why have they established 12 secret CIA bases? Why have they established 14 secret bases of the Southern Command in Guayana Esequiba, our territory? Because they are also looking for a conflict here,” he denounced.
President Nicolas Maduro emphasized that the Organic Law for the Defense of Guayana Esequiba establishes that "whoever takes a position, in private or public, to harm Venezuela and intend to dispossess Guayana Esequiba and favor the positions of Guyana is prohibited from always about politics and public functions to be exercised.”
