Interim government of Venezuela investigates alleged diversion of funds in aid of exiled soldiers

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The ambassador of the interim government of Venezuela in Colombia, Humberto Calderón, indicated that they are working "in the final phase of auditing this regrettable and embarrassing case.

 

The interim government of Venezuela, led by Juan Guaidó, said it will investigate accusations made by a web portal about alleged detours in the funds to help the Venezuelan military exiles in Cúcuta, Colombia. In a statement, the Office of the Presidency of Guaidó asked the Colombian authorities for their help to carry out an "impartial investigation that would clarify these allegations and take the necessary measures." This Friday, the news portal PanamPost denounced that the two people in charge of supervising the stay of the Venezuelan military men who fled in Cúcuta since last February 23, when the opposition tried to send the humanitarian aid stored there, would have diverted these funds. They would be Rossana Barrera and Kevin Rojas, both from the party where Guaidó, Voluntad Po[CENSORED]r, and Barrera are sister-in-law of another deputy close to the opposition leader. His actions have caused the eviction of the military of a hotel for a debt contracted of 60 million pesos, about 20 thousand dollars, details the portal.

In the communiqué, they emphasize that the internal government or its envoys do not manage the resources assigned to the humanitarian assistance work in the Colombian-Venezuelan border and that the persons named "have separated from their responsibilities while the investigation is being carried out."

Guaidó has not been shy about the case. The same day that the publication came out, he used his Twitter account to ensure that the "delegation in Colombia has handled the military situation in that country with austerity and economic limitations."

In an act during his tour of the western state of Merida in the framework of 'Operation Freedom' this Saturday also referred to the allegations and indicated that: "I am a public servant who must render accounts, and I take the opportunity to say that the complaint We went to investigate thoroughly without any doubt, we do not handle a bolivar from the public fund, a cent of the public patrimony must be sacred, the theft that they did during the last 20 years must end. " For his part, the ambassador of the interim government of Venezuela in Colombia, Humberto Calderón, used his Twitter account to clear up doubts about the case and indicated that they are working "in the final phase of auditing this regrettable and embarrassing case. with the country is to go to the bottom of the matter. " He explained that they already had the complaint of irregularities and that they are "finalizing an audit" that began weeks ago. "We had to gather information and now it is being audited, these issues must be handled with seriousness and professionalism," he added. The interim embassy itself has already issued a statement formally requesting assistance from the Colombian authorities.

The opposition Po[CENSORED]r Will party issued its own statement in support of the investigations. "Defending the honor of the innocent and demanding punishment in case of guilty, in Po[CENSORED]r Will we support this investigation, which we believe must reach its ultimate consequences," they said. The Secretary General of the Organization of American States, Luis Almagro, echoed the complaint and asked to determine responsibilities and demand accountability. "There is no possible democratization under the opacity of acts of corruption," he said.