Italy’s Public Ministry prosecutors will interrogate, on Tuesday (16), in Spain, former Venezuelan general Hugo Armando Carvajal, known as ‘Pollo Carvajal’, about an alleged irregular financing of the Movimento 5 Estrelas party, taking advantage of the fact that that his extradition to the United States has yet to materialize.
The testimony was authorized by the Audiencia Nacional, one of the Spanish superior courts. Italian prosecutors want to hear Carvajal about his latest revelations about the Venezuelan government and its relationship with political groups in other countries.
Arrested in Spain in September after spending two years in an unknown whereabouts, Carvajal is waiting to be turned over to US authorities, who have requested extradition for accusing him of drug trafficking offences.
After a long process, on October 20, the Spanish National Hearing decided to ask the US for guarantees in the extradition of the former Venezuelan intelligence chief in terms of human rights and the possibility of appeal as a last step towards his surrender.
Since his arrest, Carvajal has used different strategies, unsuccessfully, to prevent or at least delay his surrender, including seeking political asylum or appealing to the Spanish Supreme Court against the decision of the European country’s government to extradite him.
Another tactic was the willingness to testify to a Spanish judge about alleged corruption schemes between the Venezuelan government and former leaders of the Podemos party, for the alleged financing of this left-wing political group in Spain.
In the case of Italy, the testimony would fit the investigation into the alleged transfer of 3.5 million euros by diplomatic bag to the founder of the 5 Stars Movement, Gianroberto Casaleggio, through the Venezuelan consular delegation in Italy.
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