Foto Archivo
Former Venezuelan prosecutor Zair Mundaray reported this Saturday that the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) held a preliminary hearing at midnight, conducted via telematics, for at least 19 defendants linked to the PDVSA-Cripto case, a process that—he noted—General Prosecutor Tarek William Saab had kept “under wraps” for more than two years.
“From the @TSJ_Venezuela I was informed that at 12 am today, during the early hours, the preliminary hearing was held via telematics for at least 19 accused in the PDVSA-CRIPTO case, a case that TarekWiliamSaab kept hidden for over two years,” Mundaray wrote on his X account.
The ex-prosecutor highlighted the unusual nature of the proceedings, emphasizing that he is not aware of any other preliminary hearing initiated on a Saturday at that hour. He detailed that the accusation was presented by prosecutor Eddy Bencomo, “mentioned in various extortion schemes alongside Farik Mora,” before terrorism judge Carlos Liendo, who accepted the charges and referred the matter to trial.
Mundaray challenged the “absurd accusation” made, pointing out that it does not mention recovered assets, stolen amounts, or specific officials who profited illegally. “It’s as if everyone did everything, meaning the accusation is poorly framed so the truth doesn’t come out,” he claimed. He added that SEBIN officials may have kept some of the seized assets.
In his complaint, he also recalled that the accused remain detained, except for officials from the Baruta municipality, who were released months ago “on the orders of @NicolasMaduro,” questioning: “In exchange for what?” In the view of the former prosecutor, this process “seems to have more than one fool incarcerated while high-ranking officials are free.”