Caracas Chronicles

• Former mayor of Guanta Jhonnathan Marín Sanguino left Mexico and turned himself in to U.S. authorities in Miami on Monday. He posted bail—for 100,000 dollars—that same day according to AP. Marín was a member of MVR and PSUV and didn’t finish his second term. He resigned out of the blue and fled the country. He moved to Mexico where he created several companies and, in 2019, Venezuela’s prosecutor’s office accused him of using fake companies to do business with PDVSA funds. In Miami, there’s an investigation of a network of bribes using JVs: allegedly, Marín helped with bribes in the name of an unidentified accomplice who got tens of millions of dollars in contracts from JVs. He helped transfer over 1.2 million dollars from a U.S. account to a company in Panama, for two unidentified Venezuelan officers. He was charged with conspiring to commit crimes against the U.S., which carries a maximum five-year sentence. He’s represented by Michael Nadler, known for his role in the case of Colombian citizen Alex Saab. 
• Oil exports dropped 8% in April compared to March. However, Venezuela doubled oil exports to Cuba: PDVSA sent almost 70,000 bpd to Cuba, including oil, diesel, and fuel oil. 
• An investigation by InSight Crime revealed that Venezuela is “at risk of becoming the fourth largest producer of cocaine.” The piece says that Maduro’s regime watches over drug trafficking and controls the profits. They confirmed the presence of coca crops in “Zulia, Apure, Tachira and Amazonas.” 
• Imports will continue to be exempt from import taxes and VAT until December 2023, according to the Official Gazette published on May 1st. 
• Delcy Rodríguez had a meeting with the National Supermarket Association, where she offered some “positive indicators” of our economy, but omitted the contraction and hyperinflation context that makes this “miracle” impossible. She said the commercial sector grew 86% compared to 2020, the first year of lockdowns and the pandemic. 

Jorge Rodríguez issued new threats against opposition leaders, and blamed them for xenophobia against Venezuelan migrants: “At some point, Julio Borges, Manuel Rosales, Juan Guaidó, and those who signed the transition statute in 2019 will have to answer to justice.” 

• The Bolivian and Venezuelan foreign ministers announced they’re committed to peace and respecting international law. 
• Maduro’s communications minister Freddy Ñáñez criticized the influence of digital media and social media on the public opinion. 
• Oncology patients protested in front of the Health Ministry to demand the government guarantee the supply of medicine and treatment. 
• Spokespeople of the healthcare guild in Trujillo warned about the increase of dead newborns in Valera’s Central Hospital. They think the neonatology wing is contaminated. 
• Cecodap denounced that ANC-imposed prosecutor general Tarek William Saab violated the right to due process when he used his social media to expose teenagers accused of felonies. Saab has published tweets where he exposes the full name, photographs and videos of teenagers involved in cases of bullying. 
• Karate athlete Nicole Gamboa, from Margarita, won the gold medal in her category at the Suramericanos de la Juventud Rosario 2022.

Provea warned that Maduro’s National Assembly is preparing a new law on international cooperation that would seek to illegalize NGOs. 

• Transparencia Venezuela and Foro Cívico met with representatives of the Unitary Platform, to restart the negotiation process in Mexico. 
• 13 million Ukrainians have had to leave their homes. Half of them are children, including unaccompanied minors that have gone missing. 
• UNICEF estimates that around 250 children have died and over 300 have been injured, but they insist that it’s highly likely that the figures are a lot higher.