Whistleblower: Chavismo distributed millions to “regional allies,” including Brazil and Paraguay
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Carvajal was arrested in Madrid and is wanted by the U.S. for drug trafficking and money laundering. In his statements to the courts, he mentioned several former South American presidents as recipients of the funds, known as “petrodollars.”
According to the document sent to Spain’s Central Investigation Court number 6, Carvajal stated that “While I was Venezuela’s Director of Intelligence and Military Counterintelligence, I received a large number of reports indicating that international financing was ongoing. Specific instances are: Nestor Kirchner in Argentina, Evo Morales in Bolivia, Lula Da Silva in Brazil, Fernando Lugo in Paraguay, Ollanta Humala in Peru, Zelaya in Honduras, Gustavo Petro in Colombia, Five Star Movement (MS5) in Italy and Podemos in Spain.”
This document was disclosed by Spanish newspaper OK Diario.
The Spanish newspaper highlighted Carvajal’s statements in which he assures that “the Venezuelan government has illegally financed leftist political movements in the world for at least 15 years, including the financing of the creation of Spanish Podemos political party.”
Chavismo’s former strong man pledged to deliver more documents to the Spanish courts in which the millions of dollars granted for the international financing of the so-called “21st Century Socialism,” promoted by the then Venezuelan ruler Hugo Chávez, are recorded.
The former Chavista general, known by the nickname of “el pollo,” will return next week to the Spanish National Court, where he testified at his own request a few weeks ago on matters he declared to know after having served for years as head of the Venezuelan Intelligence, reported EFE news agency.
According to the Spanish newspaper El Independiente, the United States is calling for Carvajal’s extradition to stand trial in New York. He is accused of being part of “a Venezuelan drug trafficking organization comprising high-ranking Venezuelan officials and others, known as the Cartel of the Suns.”
The Cartel’s goals included not only the enrichment of its members, but also the use of cocaine as a weapon against the United States due to the drug’s adverse effects on individual users and the potential for broader social damages resulting from cocaine addiction.
To this end, Carvajal and other Cartel of the Suns members developed connections with large-scale drug traffickers, including FARC leaders, among others.
Key Facts
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— For the complete picture, read our in-depth guide: Paraguay: Washington's Most Valued Ally in Latin America
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