Humberto Calderon, the opposition-appointed ambassador to Colombia, cast some confusion into the response to allegations that funds destined for humanitarian purposes in Colombia have been embezzled.
The allegations, which were published two days ago in the PanAm Post, involve two Guaido-appointed individuals and money under their care that was supposed to go towards Venezuelan army defectors and their families in Colombia.
After the story broke, Guaido promised that he would launch an investigation into the allegations.
Today, Calderon tweeted a message on his official account saying that the investigation had already begun, and that it has been ongoing for the past two months.
Calderon said:
Just so that it’s clear for everyone in the country[:] the investigation began as a result of my personal initiative two months ago after some information that I received from Colombia’s General Directorate for Intelligence. In the time that has since passed, we’ve gathered and analyzed the information that we received [sic].
If accurate, Calderon’s comments could suggest that Guaido was not aware that an investigation into the allegations was already taking place, or that he chose to not reveal that information for some reason.
1/3 of Asylum Seekers in Spain are Venezuelan
The Spanish Ministry of the Interior released updated immigration statistics today, revealing that one third of all asylum seekers in the country so far this year are from Venezuela. The fraction amounts to approximately 17,000 people.
The figure is notable also because it is well on track to surpass the number of Venezuelan asylum seekers in Spain for all of 2018. That year, 20,015 Venezuelans asked for asylum in Spain.
Venezuelans have taken the top spot of asylum seekers in Spain for the last three years.
EU Ministers to Meet Tomorrow, Talk Venezuela
The European Union’s (EU) 28 foreign ministers will meet tomorrow to discuss the ongoing Venezuelan crisis in Luxembourg, among other issues.
One of the items on the agenda will be to discuss the ongoing efforts by the EU’s International Contact Group to support a democratic solution to the crisis, and more specifically the promotion of a process with the parties involved to hold free and fair presidential elections.
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