International
Venezuela confirms investigation of public officials for corruption
March 20 |
The government of the Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro, confirmed on Sunday that it is investigating for alleged “administrative corruption and embezzlement”, several citizens who held public positions, reported the state channel Venezolana de Televisión.
Joselit Ramírez, dismissed from his position as head of the National Superintendence of Cryptocurrency and Related Activities (Sunacrip), where a “restructuring” took place, was reportedly arrested together with other officials, local newspaper Últimas Noticias reported.
Reports of arrests in the Venezuelan press have not yet been officially confirmed by Maduro’s government.
Ramirez is on the wanted list for “money laundering and sanctions evasion” of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. State Department, which is offering a reward of up to $5 million for his arrest.
“Ramirez Camacho worked with others to violate and evade Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) narcotics-related sanctions, among other related regulations,” the government agency said.
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement points to Ramírez of having ties to Oil Minister Tareck El Aissami, designated in 2017 by the US Treasury Department as a “Specially Designated Narcotics Trafficker” for “playing a significant role in international narcotics trafficking.”
“He facilitated narcotics shipments from Venezuela, including control of planes leaving a Venezuelan airbase and drug routes through ports in Venezuela. In his former positions, he oversaw or partially owned narcotics shipments of more than 1,000 kilograms from Venezuela on multiple occasions, including those with Mexico and the United States as final destinations,” the US Department of Homeland Security states.
On several occasions the Venezuelan government, including President Nicolás Maduro, has defended several sanctioned officials, including El Aissami.
“They want to link him to Hezbollah, I know Tareck well, never in his life, he has never had contact with anyone from Hezbollah,” said the Venezuelan president at a public event in 2019.
Other of those investigated in the operation of the anti-corruption authorities were the lawyer Cristóbal Cornieles Perret, president of the Criminal Judicial Circuit of Caracas; and the Fourth Control Judge with competence in crimes associated to terrorism, José Mascimino Márquez, who was in charge of cases where important opposition leaders were sentenced.
The Estafo channel also confirmed the investigation to the mayor of the Santos Michelena municipality of Aragua state, Pedro Hernández, “for issues linked” to criminal gangs.
The Venezuelan Anti-Corruption Police had announced on Friday that it requested the Public Prosecutor’s Office to “prosecute” a series of individuals who could be involved in “serious acts of administrative corruption and embezzlement”.
“The conviction of our actions are the result of a thorough investigation, carried out for months, which points to citizens who exercised functions in the Judicial Power, in the oil industry, and in some municipal mayors’ offices of the country”, states the communiqué.
On the same Friday, in the middle of an act broadcasted by the State channel, Maduro called on his cabinet ministers to “stick to ethics”.
“They have to stick to honesty and selfless public service, service as an apostolate to the people because the power we have does not belong to us, the power I have as president does not belong to me, it belongs to the sovereign people of Venezuela. Let us not forget ministers, comrades who have leadership, I hand over to you and I delegate my trust to you”, said Maduro.
Venezuelan opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, reacted by assuring that with the facts, Nicolás Maduro “confesses” again “where the corruption is”.
“No internal struggle will make them wash their hands. They intend to continue stealing and clinging to power, aggravating the daily life of millions. Not even in a series of narcos was there so much brazenness,” he wrote on Twitter.
For his part, also political leader Julio Borges assured from exile that there is an “internal war” in the government to divide a “loot” among “looters”.
“They are not fooling anyone, Venezuela knows that the corrupt are in Miraflores”, insisted Borges in a tweet.
International
Trump replaces Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with Senator Markwayne Mullin
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Thursday the departure of Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security, one of the key architects of the administration’s policy of deporting undocumented immigrants.
Noem, who has been assigned a new role as a “special envoy” to Latin America, will be replaced starting March 31 by Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin, the president said in a message posted on his social media platform Truth Social.
According to media reports, Trump made the decision after Noem’s recent hearings in Congress, during which she faced tough questions regarding the awarding of a major public contract.
International
Young Woman Will Represent Mexico at 2026 World Cup Opener, Says President Sheinbaum
Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, announced Thursday that the young Mexican woman who proves to have the best ball control skills will receive her personal ticket to the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Mexico City.
The left-wing leader had previously said she would not attend the tournament’s opening game on June 11 in the Mexican capital and instead planned to give away the ticket number 00001, reserved for her by FIFA.
During her morning press conference, Sheinbaum explained that women between 16 and 25 years old can participate by submitting a video through an official platform.
“What do they have to do? Keep the ball in the air for one minute,” she said, referring to the soccer juggling challenge that will determine the winner.
Among the judges selecting the winner will be Mexican striker Charlyn Corral, the world’s top female scorer who set a ball-control record in 2005, and professional referee Katia Itzel García.
Sheinbaum also revealed that she plans to watch the opening match during a large public gathering with giant screens in the Zócalo, located in the historic center near the presidential palace.
“Very few people will be able to attend the opening. So I will watch it here with the people, and a young woman will represent me and the people of Mexico,” the president said.
Sheinbaum has previously commented on the high cost of World Cup tickets, as well as the difficulty of obtaining them in a metropolitan area with more than 20 million inhabitants.
In the 2026 tournament, jointly hosted by United States, Mexico, and Canada, Mexico will stage 13 matches in Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey.
The opening match will take place at the legendary Estadio Azteca, which previously hosted World Cup opening ceremonies in 1970 and 1986, occasions when the presidents in attendance were famously booed by the crowd.
International
Claudia Sheinbaum: Operation Against ‘El Mencho’ Was Based on Pending Arrest Warrants
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday rejected claims that the military operation that resulted in the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was carried out under pressure from the United States government.
Sheinbaum explained that the deployment of federal forces was aimed at executing outstanding arrest warrants against Oseguera Cervantes, who was considered one of the most wanted criminals in both Mexico and the United States.
“That was not the objective (to ease pressure from the United States). It is very important, and I want to repeat it. This individual had an arrest warrant, or several,” Sheinbaum said, referring to the operation conducted on February 22.
According to the president, the initial goal was to capture Oseguera Cervantes, but military forces responded after coming under attack during the intervention.
“The operation was to detain him. The problem is that they were attacked — the Secretariat of National Defense — and they responded at that moment,” she said.
The president insisted that the action was not carried out in response to external demands, although she acknowledged intelligence cooperation with the United States.
“It was not done in any way because of pressure from the United States, not at all. Of course, there was intelligence information from the United States that was used specifically,” she concluded.
Trump replaces Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with Senator Markwayne Mullin
Young Woman Will Represent Mexico at 2026 World Cup Opener, Says President Sheinbaum
Claudia Sheinbaum: Operation Against ‘El Mencho’ Was Based on Pending Arrest Warrants
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