28.03.19: Urgent Needs

The Comptroller General issued an order today banning interim president Juan Guaido from holding any public office for the next 15 years.

According to Comptroller General Elvis Amoroso, the decision came after his office found irregularities with the financing of Guaido’s trips abroad as well as within Venezuela, which he said could not have been afforded “with his salary as a civil servant”. Amoroso said that he “presumes” that Guaido falsified information on his financial statements and received hidden money from abroad to pay for his trips.

Guaido reacted to the news by claiming that the Comptroller General holds no authority given that he is part of the illegitimate Maduro government,

Juan Manuel Rafalli, a constitutional lawyer cited in El Nacional, said the ban placed on Guaido has no basis in Venezuelan law. He said:

Whatever Elvis Amoroso said is irrelevant. Juan Guaido enjoys parliamentary immunity as the president of the National Assembly, and this ban cannot take effect until a proper trial has taken place before the Supreme Court because [otherwise] it’s a violation of his immunity.

UN Report: 7 Million Venezuelans Need “Urgent” Aid

The Agence France-Presse obtained an internal United Nations report that was delivered this week to Maduro which paints a grim picture of the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela.

According to the report:

Seven million people — or about 24 percent of the total population currently living in the country — are estimated to have urgent priority needs for assistance and protection.

The report cites a university study that shows that 94% of Venezuelans lived in poverty in 94, and that 60% lived in extreme poverty.

The report also includes the following assessment:

Due to an increasingly contracted economy and political unrest, the Venezuelan population is facing unprecedented challenges in accessing essential services, including protection, health care, medicines, vaccinations, water, electricity, education and access to food.

Fire Near El Helicoide

A fire broke out near El Helicoide, the infamous Caracas headquarters of the SEBIN, shortly before 5:00 PM this afternoon.

The first videos and images showing the blaze were not clear enough to show whether the building itself was on fire, or if the flames were confined to an adjacent area:

However, it became apparent shortly after the flames were first spotted that the fire had started in some brush near the building. According to journalist Roman Camacho, the smoke was black because of some old tires that had been removed from an out-of-service police unit:

 

 

---

Questions/Comments? E-mail me: invenezuelablog@gmail.com