V’zuelan opposition leader accused of stealing aid funds

JAMES LANSER

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido and some of his representatives are under fire after being accused by journalists and the Venezuelan government of stealing large sums of US dollars that were intended to help Venezuelan military defectors who fled to Colombia after Guaido took the role of “interim-president” in January.

Some reports claim that several members of Guaido’s team were involved in the theft while others place the scandal primarily on Kevin Rojas and Rossana Barrera. Barrera and Rojas are the officials who Guaido ordered to care of defectors in Colombia.

Rojas is the sister-in-law of a Venezuelan opposition politician and Barrera is Guaido’s right-hand man.

Venezuelan authorities opened a criminal investigation against Guaido to examine if he had a role in the corruption scandal.

Venezuela’s attorney general Tarek William Saab accused Guaido of being behind the entire scheme. He said although Guaido’s “representatives are materially responsible” Guaido is the “mastermind” who personally directed the theft.

Guaido himself launched an investigation into the matter stating, “We will not allow any mismanagement to tarnish what has been an effort of all Venezuelans. That is why we immediately sent the information gathered by my ambassador to Colombia’s attorney general office.”

The money was intended to support more than 14,000 Venezuelan military forces who fled to Colombia since January. The forces did so in alliance to Guaido with hopes of weakening the military power of the current government lead by president Nicholas Maduro.

The amount of money stolen is uncertain at this point. The defectors allegedly require over US $10,000 a month, it is likely that the stolen money was taken from this monthly sum or from the US $100,000 that was included in blocked humanitarian aid in February.

Most of the defectors have been staying in hotels at the Colombian border city of Cúcuta. Funds for their living are being paid in a joint deal by Colombia, the UN and the Venezuelan opposition. Many defectors continue to be evicted as the aid funds are continuously gone unpaid.

This corruption scandal hurts the Guaido since he has constantly been calling out Maduro for his alleged large scale corruption and theft.