From left to right: Julio Borges, Carlos Ocariz, Leopoldo Lopez, and Carlos Vecchio, all far-right Venezuelan politicians on the US government payroll. Photo: RedRadioVE.
Former Venezuelan minister for petroleum and leader of the PDVSA-Crypto corruption plot, Tareck El Aissami, was an ally of the fugitives Leopoldo LĂłpez and Julio Borges. This was disclosed this Monday, April 29, by the Attorney General of Venezuela, Tarek William Saab, when revealing audios where the businessman Samark LĂłpez, involved in the plot and already arrested, had phone conversations with right-wing spokespersons serving as intermediaries of the White House.
According to the head of the Public Ministry, Samark LĂłpez, El Aissami’s “financial operator” was former so-called president Juan GuaidĂł’s liaison for PetrĂłleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) with sectors of far-right opposition and United States spokespeople, such as James Story, who was in charge of the US Foreign Office for Venezuela in Bogotá. Saab added they communicated among themselves via Zoom and that there are more than 40 hours of audio dating back to 2018, of which only a small fraction that do not compromise current investigations was presented.
Saab said that Samark LĂłpez knew about Operation GedeĂłn, the failed mercenary raid on May 3, 2020, which aimed to assassinate President Nicolás Maduro and other leaders of the Venezuelan government. “Carlos Vecchio talks about how he had to deliver proof of life, talking about Operation Gideon, lamenting its failure. They even discussed terrorists, mercenaries trained in Colombia protected by Duque’s government at the time. They give it the euphemism of Operation of the Lanchitas, a criminal and terrorist action that aimed for bloodshed in Venezuela. Look at how they refer to it once it failed,” he said after showing one of the audios with the phone conversations of Aissami’s middleman.
#EnVideođź“ą Te mostramos las conversaciones entre Julio Borges, Samark LĂłpez y Carlos Ocariz, en las que se demuestra su vinculaciĂłn con la extrema derecha venezolana #29Abr#VenezuelaPaĂsDeEsfuerzoPropio pic.twitter.com/eSHUp8IZbj
— Alfred Nazareth (@luchaalmada) April 29, 2024
The purpose of these conversations was to transmit instructions sent by senior US government officials aiming to oust President Nicolás Maduro. Saab added that Samark López was the link with the “mafia boss” [Tarek El Aissami] and was also its financial operator since he has come to explain what the transactions and contracts they made were like.
The audio presented by Saab totals about 10 minutes. However, he noted that they were able to extract “thousands and thousands of hours and join together the evidence and the crimes” from phones. He described the conversations of those involved as “vomitive and abhorrent” and noted that its protagonists continue to believe that Venezuela is the “backyard” of the United States.
New names
In response to a Telesur question, Saab said that there are new names and they have linked records, which is why new arrests are not ruled out as new revelations emerge.
He also said that López, Zerpa, and El Aissami were detained in their “respective hideouts” and not in the same place as has been reported by right-wing news outlets. “This was impeccable surveillance work since the end of 2023.”
The Prosecutor reported that they will now proceed to the preliminary hearing phase, and they will be accused of the crimes for which they were charged.
Borges: a facilitator
In one of the audios, you can hear Julio Borges talking with Samark López. He says that he is going to try to make “things easier” and indicates that he wants to be very transparent with his interlocutor [Samark López] and “with them,” in clear reference to the US government.
Borges defines himself as a “facilitator” and not an “intermediary.”
“I don’t want them to make me demand impossible things nor put you in an unpleasant situation. What I believe, and I tell you with the greatest confidence, I believe that the specific answers that can be sought are two things. We had already discussed one, the possibility of him speaking with Jimmy [James Story] or Elliot [Abrams], even for a few minutes, to be able to have an exchange of perspectives or understand how to achieve a political solution in the country. That is not easy, and they understand the difficulty.”
Saab also mentioned doubts about the US’s confidence in achieving the “change.” Borges speaks of the contact or “them” having a level of intelligence and penetration that he is unaware of.
In Saab’s opinion, considering that these far-right groups see “Venezuela as the backyard of the United States,” they proceed to speak with an impressive level of submission. “Almost as bootlickers, they named James Story and a person who plays an important role in this plot, Rafael Folleit, as if they were gods.”
Saab reiterated that El Aissami had links with the United States government hotline.
In another audio, where Leopoldo López intervenes, you can hear that Samark López says that discontent with Chavismo continues because the “conditions” are still present. They refer to raids on FANB officials and a person who is very dissatisfied. Far-right politicians like Carlos Ocariz and Carlos Vecchi were also part of the conversations with Samark Lopez.
Political conspiracy
The attorney general reiterated that the PDVSA-Crypto plot involved both economic corruption and political conspiracy.
Illegal oil operations were carried out, such as the hand-picking of PDVSA vessels with crude oil, coke, and fuel oil to individuals and the National Superintendence of Crypto Assets (Sunacrip), without administrative control or monitoring.
The products were sold below market value, and the payments did not reach the state oil company.
“Commissions were charged throughout the marketing process, and gifts were requested to guarantee access to contracts. The stolen public funds were used for financial and real estate speculation,” said Saab.
They also had a conglomerate of commercial companies that served to legitimize the stolen money.
“The objective and goal of this mafia, headed by El Aissami, was none other than to implode the national economy, destroy our national currency, push up the value of the black-market dollar, and thus, make the economic policies promoted by the Venezuelan government fail,” Saab explained.
The investigations
When recounting the investigations that his office has carried out, Saab said that they have investigated 32 conspiracy plots linked to the oil industry, including PDVSA-Crypto.
In addition, he said that 290 people have been prosecuted, and 76 have already received a conviction. Among those charged are four former presidents of PDVSA: Nelson MartĂnez, Eulogio Del Pino, Rafael RamĂrez, and Tareck El Aissami.
Those charged with corruption since August 2017 total 12,639, with 11,254 people accused and 4,810 convicted.
(Ăšltimas Noticias) by Aura Torrealba with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SF
