Saturday 12 December 2009

Hugo wants 30 years for Eligio Cedeño's judge

Quico wrote some months ago about the Eligio Cedeño case. You should really go to that article first if you haven't read it, before continuing.

2007
Cedeño was a wealthy Venezuelan banker. As Wikipedia says, he was "arrested in a crack down by Venezuelan officials on individuals circumventing government currency rules to gain US dollars". As you may know, Venezuelans cannot freely buy foreign currency: there are quotas for normal citizens, there are quotas for importers and bankers. This has lead to a huge amount of (extra) corruption in the system, well-connected people have made fortunes. Blogger Miguel (Devil's Excrement) has written a lot about this.

In any case, the banker was detained and put in prison (in El Helicoide) without charges, as Quico's informant some months ago said.













El Helicoide

He may be guilty, but the whole process was completely un-kosher. There hasn't been any concrete charges for over 2 years. Judge Jury López, who was in charge of the case, fled to the US from Venezuela and got a refugee status after claiming she was first put under pressure and then threatened. Above you have a video of hers in Spanish only, here a shorter part with subtitles.

2009

Quico wrote Boliburgueses (like Arné Chacón) are now living under the shadow of Cedeño. Now Arné and some other Bolivarian bankers are in prison but last Thursday 10 December the newspapers announced judge María Lourdes Afiuni had liberated Cedeño. She ordered him (wishful thinking at best) to remain in the country and report every 15 days. The same day the Venezuelan Intelligence Police went to look for him in his appartment and elsewhere.

On Friday 11 Hugo of Sabaneta asked for the judge to get 30 years prison for letting the banker run away. I know nothing of law but to me it is strange a president can publicly ask for that punishment (the maximum amount of years anyone can be in prison in Venezuela) because a judge liberated a man who may have stolen money.

In any case, today the judge was detained and was brought to the Palace of Justice.

There have been several rumours about why Eligio got such a harsh treatment (at least so early), while others were left so freely. Some point to Hugo's daughter.


























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