The reality of corruption in Venezuela has knocked on the door of Tareck El Aissami, one of the trusted men of chavismo. On March 20, he presented his resignation from the position of Minister of Petroleum after the disappearance of 3,000 million dollars from Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA)but, there are more doubts that remain after his supposed departure from the ranks of the government.
It may be of interest to you: (Venezuelan Oil Minister resigns after corruption cases)
Like almost everything in Venezuela, the information runs between rumors on social networks and one or another brief official statement. Thus, on the night of March 17, a document was released warning that the Anti-Corruption Police was behind some facts to be investigated that had already been requested from the Public Ministry and that included judges, officials from the oil industry, and mayors.
Among those charged and arrested was Joselit Ramírez, head of the Superintendence of Crypto Assets, the body in charge of organizing, planning, regulating, promoting and coordinating the adoption and use of crypto assets such as the petro, the Venezuelan cryptocurrency. With this payment system, many of the PDVSA transactions were carried out to circumvent the sanctions imposed by the United States on the state company, making Ramírez an important government operator.
Ramírez is known for his closeness to El Aissami, a character who began to serve in government ranks at a very young age when he met at the University of Los Andes Adán Chávez, brother of ‘comandante’ Hugo.
Today, at 48 years old, he was reaping influence of such magnitude that even when he served as vice president of the country in 2017 – a turbulent year for the administration of Nicolás Maduro – he was considered a successor.
That same year he was sanctioned by the US, accused of terrorism and drug trafficking, and in 2020 the administration of donald trump offered a reward of 10 million dollars for the capture of the hierarch pointed out for more than five years for having ties to the Lebanese movement Hezbollah (on the list of terrorist groups in some countries), Iran and Syria, and the arrival of citizens of these origins to Venezuela. In 2019, the then US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeodeclared: “Hezbollah has active cells that with their actions, the Iranians, are affecting the peoples of Venezuela and all of South America.”
Months later, Maduro defended the country and his minister El Aissami, saying that the US administration “keeps attacking the official because he is the son of an Arab couple and they want to link him to Hezbollah, when he has never had contact with anyone from that organization.”
In the eyes of the world, the alleged closeness of El Aissami to the PDVSA corruption scandal marks his downfall. But, in the opinion of analysts and those familiar with how Maduro handles his affairs, this is far from reality. With this curriculum, it is unlikely that El Aissami’s resignation due to the investigations against corruption – which total 20 detainees – is to take away his power. On the contrary, he would be looking for a greater margin of operation and influence outside of the public eye.
These positions and charges are not the only way to have power. So what El Aissami is taking off his minister’s hat. I don’t think there are fights”
At least you think so Joseph M. Humire, executive director of the US-based Center for a Free and Secure Society.
For this analyst, who is also an expert in global security specializing in the analysis of transregional threat networks, El Aissami would come to play a role similar to that of the Colombian Alex Saabwho without holding public office, managed for many years – before being imprisoned in the US accused of being a figurehead for Maduro – the control and monopoly of companies and food distribution in Venezuela.
“These positions and charges are not the only way to have power. Saab was a very important person, but no one knew who he was. So what El Aissami is taking off his minister’s hat. I don’t think there are conflicts,” Humire explains to EL TIEMPO.
The expert also considers that in the new international oil order marked by the reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia and the announcement by China and Russia to use the yuan as a payment currency, Venezuela wants to be part of this order and “like El Aissami He has charges against him, it is better that he is not in the government”.
Humire also warns that Colombia can enter the game because the Arab world is taking more space in Venezuelan agriculture and they want to expand to the neighboring country. “They want to extend the model to Colombia and Petro is allowing it,” she emphasized.
The idea of a real fall of El Aissami also seems implausible to him former prosecutor in exile Zair Mundaray. For one of the men who worked with the former attorney general Luisa Ortega Diazwhat is happening in the supposed anti-corruption fight undertaken by the madurismo is nothing more than a matter of cash flow.
“Maduro needs money, this would not have happened if we were not in an electoral context,” Mundaray insists in an interview with this newspaper.
The ex-prosecutor explains that part of what happened is because when looking for accounts receivable from pdvsamany creditors responded that they had already formalized payments, including in cryptocurrencies.
After that, the officials sent by Maduro go to the Superintendence of Cryptoactives and realize that the money that could be used in the campaign does not exist.
There are powerful groups that want to remove El Aissami and it was easy for them, but it is not a conspiracy, it is corruption. And if it had not happened in this context, nothing would have happened.
“There are powerful groups that want to remove El Aissami and it was easy for them, but it is not a conspiracy, it is corruption. And if it hadn’t happened in this context, nothing would have happened.”
El Aissami is characterized as a quiet man, a soccer fan, and even considered by some talent scouts to make a career out of it on television. But the way he spoke didn’t seem to help, a mix between a Venezuelan Andean accent with Arabic roots.
From a young age, he was a member of the left, seeing the example of his father Carlos El Aissami, who is said to have been head of the Venezuelan section of the Baath political party in Iraq, the same as Saddam Hussein’s.
He himself has recounted that at his home in Mérida he witnessed raids because his father participated in the coup d’état of February 1992. In his youth he drew the attention of Hugo Chavez when with a Palestinian handkerchief he made the then president listen to some complaints made by the students in Mérida.
El Aissami is not known for living a life of excess. Like many leaders of Chavismo, he takes care not to make public appearances outside of his functions.
He always dresses elegant and takes care of his image, but no more is known about his private life, only that he is married to Rudy Amer, who has been seen in a couple of photos on networks, but without major shocks.
The couple have two children. For a few years now, the leadership closest to Maduro has taken great care of his appearances and social networks are a space to show everything related to the government, very little about private life.
In 2018 the Uruguayan press revealed that Feras El Aissami, brother of the then vice president, He lived in a house in that country, which he had rented for $48,000 for a year’s rent. But everything was denied by the family.
El Aissami has been vice president of the Economic Area of Venezuela and executive vice president. He was in charge of the Identity Mission and was accused of facilitating the identification of citizens linked to irregular organizations in the Arab world.
He is a lawyer and criminologist but when he was governor of Aragua state he was unable to reduce crime rates and the state became the first in homicides with 142 violent deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. However, he takes credit for capturing at least 70 drug lords, most of them extradited.
A few months ago, he also led allegations of corruption and he himself delivered them to the Public Ministry to prosecutor Tarek William Saab. There, Rafael Ramírez, former president of PDVSA, is accused once again of embezzling the State.
For ex-commissioner and criminal investigator Iván SimonovisIt is not surprising what happens with the hierarch, since the government follows a kind of pattern and it is a way of “justifying the disappearance of the 3,000 million dollars.”
It may be of interest to you: (Simonovis speaks from the place of his imprisonment)
Simonovis tells EL TIEMPO that, as happened with the ministers and Miguel Rodríguez Torres, Rafael Ramírez, Eulogio del Pino, Hebert García Plaza, Nervis Villalobos or Nelson Martínez, the same could be happening with El Aissami, although he has his doubts.
I think the background is that what the regime has is a cash flow problem and the best way to justify that there is no money is to say that someone stole it and that better than El Aissami”.
“I think the background is that what the regime has is a cash flow problem and the best way to justify that there is no money is to say that someone stole it and what better than El Aissami with his pieces like Joselit Ramírez” , insists the ex-commissioner now exiled.
Another aspect that Simonovis highlights is that the “link” with Hezbollah is familiar. “His uncle and his father were linked and that’s not going to go away,” he says.
Until now Maduro only accepted the resignation of his collaborator, but at least publicly there is no known investigation against him.
“Minister Tareck El Aissami has announced, through social networks (SIC), he has sent me his resignation from the position of Minister of Oil (…) I have decided to accept the resignation as Minister of Energy and Oil to facilitate all the investigations that should lead, as a result, to the establishment of the truth, the punishment of the culprits and justice”, said the head of state.
For the Center for a Free and Secure Society, in the voice of its director, “the Maduro regime is a master of strategic deception. Just two weeks ago, both the accusers and those accused of corruption in Venezuela were sitting comfortably in Caracas on the tenth anniversary of the death of Hugo Chávez.
Since the resignation announced by Twitter, El Aissami has not appeared in the media, so it is only a matter of time to see the development of the plot presented to the country.
ANA MARIA RODRIGUEZ BRAZON
EL TIEMPO correspondent
Caracas
#apparent #fall #Minister #Aissami #key #Maduro