Caracas Chronicles

• Ilocad, Baltasar Garzón’s law firm was hired by PDVSA in 2016 for several cases, among them “coordinating with the Spanish prosecution and courts the speeding up of the judicial process,” for which former judge Garzón charged a little over ten million dollars. Dolores Delgado, Spanish general prosecutor, and Garzón’s partner, who defends Maduro and Alex Saab is tied to the contract. According to a document obtained by The Objective, PDVSA hired Garzón’s firm to interpose legal action against suppliers of BARIVEN, for alleged crimes of fraud. Eulogio del Pino, pending a trial for corruption, signed that order too. 
• In 2017, they presented 2,600 contracts that amounted to $2,000 million dollars issued by BARIVEN to Roberto Rincón and Abraham Shiera, undergoing trials in the U.S., where they have declared against their former partners in order to soften their sentences. Since the most expensive contracts demanded PDVSA authorization, the Spanish judge demanded to see them and check who ordered to pay. One year later, PDVSA hasn’t submitted anything but sources say that Eulogio del Pino, Asdrúbal Chávez and Nicolás’s signatures should be on there and they could be investigated by the Spanish justice system and this is what is stalling the case. The payment order to Garzón said that Del Pino would be in charge of “any legal action having the support of the AN’s Comptrollership Commission and the Comptroller’s Office.” 

The ad hoc board of PDVSA subscribed a contract for consulting services of JP Morgan, to find a solution to the processes opened by CITGO creditors. CITGO is “protected” by the U.S. Treasury. 

• The caretaker government issued a reply to Primero Justicia’s statement, where they criticized the management and systems in place to protect assets abroad. The caretaker government insisted they have transparently and impartially managed the assets, so they won’t change the formula and that the claims of corruption have been investigated, but that they respect PJ’s decision. 
• Julio Borges assured Juan Guaidó hasn’t been assertive or made effective decisions in protecting assets abroad. 
• Enrique Sánchez Falcón warned that the AN “hasn’t fulfilled its obligation to approved the use of economic resources to pay lawyers who are protecting assets abroad,” which compromises assets like CITGO. 
• Elvis Amoroso, the ANC-imposed comptroller, received the comptrollership commission of Nicolás’s AN to debate “the findings of the public consultation” on the reform of the Anti-Corruption Law. 
• Diosdado Cabello swore in the PSUV campaign team in Caracas and violated electoral rules by broadcasting the event on state media. 
• Colombia reported that two GNB sergeants have been detained in Cúcuta, and they’re accused of weapon trafficking. 

ANC-imposed prosecutor Tarek Saab said he’ll appeal the decision to absolve sergeant Arli Cleiwi Méndez Terán for the murder of David Vallenilla and that they’ve opened an investigation against judge Kenia Carrillo.

• The power failures, the lack of infrastructure and censorship by the regime put Venezuela among the countries with the least digital freedom in the region, as is Cuba, in the latest Freedom House report. 
• Several organizations held a march demanding the legalization of abortion in Venezuela. Magdymar León, from NGO Avesa, said that this measure is a debt that the Venezuelan State owes women. 
• SAI reported that the service for passports and extensions will be “under maintenance” from Tuesday 28th till Saturday, October 2nd because of the currency redenomination. So far, a new passport costs $200 and the extension costs $100, but they must be paid in bolivars at the BCV rate. 
• The Delegate Commission said that the currency redenomination will be a failure like all the ones before it. 
• The Spanish Audiencia Nacional rejected the petition to release Hugo “El Pollo” Carvajal while he awaits a decision on his case, because they consider there’s a high risk of him trying to escape, so he’ll remain in prison until his extradition. Carvajal assured that PDVSA paid Podemos 200,000 dollars for fake reports and that Juan Carlos Monedero received the money. 
• At least 1,050,000 million Venezuelans live in Peru, according to the OAS Commission for the Migrant and Refugee Crisis, which makes Peru the country with the second-largest Venezuelan migrant population and the first in asylum requests: 532,000.