UPDATED* – The initial major scandal involving humanitarian aid funds was uncovered by Orlando Avendaño in Panampost, in June 2019. Delegates of Juan Guaidó in Colombia (Rossana Barrera and Kevin Rojas) were caught mismanaging expenses, inflating the number of military defectors who crossed the border to support Guaidó, and misusing money intended for humanitarian aid while allowing donated food to go to waste. Prior to this, in February 2019, another incident involved Freddy Superlano and his assistant Carlos Salinas partying with prostitutes in Cúcuta, who not only poisoned Superlano and Salinas but also made off with thousands of dollars in cash that Superlano had with him. Once again, funds for humanitarian aid efforts were implicated.
An article from PanamPost, penned by Orlando Avendaño, accused Guaidó’s delegates of embezzling money and resources that were supposedly intended to address the neglect faced by defectors of the Venezuelan Armed Forces in Colombia.
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– MV Inglés (@MV_Eng) June 16, 2019
USAID states on its Venezuela page that approximately $472 million has been allocated from the fiscal years 2017 to 2019 as part of the Humanitarian Financing for the “Response to the Regional Crisis in Venezuela.” However, there is significant opacity surrounding how exactly these funds are disbursed/spent since Juan Guaidó claimed to be interim president in January 2019.
Sources familiar with USAID’s processes informed this site that generally, approved funds are distributed to various institutions, such as the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the International Republican Institute (IRI), the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), and Freedom House. Projects must be submitted, and once approved, funds are sent to the requesting organization.
However, a search for recent financial reports on spending in Venezuela yields no results. Avendaño stated in his June 2019 exposé that Miguel Sabal was Guaidó’s key man for “all matters related to USAID.” Sabal further elaborates on his foundation, Futuro Presente (a grassroots youth movements organization).
Leaked documents related to a PADF program called Food for Progress indicate efforts to “boost the recovery of the Venezuelan agricultural sector.” The project’s goals are to “reduce hunger and improve food security” sustainably in rural areas of Venezuela.
Sabal’s foundation registered in Florida, Futuro Presente, appears as one of the beneficiaries of the PADF program funds. Futuro Presente also seems to be linked to Yon Goicoechea, another leader of Voluntad Popular close to Guaidó.
Neither Sabal nor Goicoechea had any apparent ties to agriculture, as far as this site could determine. While it is understandable that USAID channels funds for political programs through unrelated matters, one source informed this site that, given the opaque and irresponsible manner in which Guaidó’s team utilizes humanitarian aid funds, a formal complaint was lodged with William Steiger, the USAID director.
According to a PDF document on this site, the Food for Progress Venezuela program will last for three years and has a budget of $8–$10 million. It continues to describe its objective as “This project will require substantial coordination and cooperation with the Government of Venezuela (GoV), the USDA, the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, and private sector stakeholders, along with considerable flexibility on the part of the Implementing Partner (IP) to effectively carry out activities in an evolving context and challenging environment.” It adds: “The implementing partner will work with the USDA/FAS and the U.S. Embassy in Caracas to identify key partners and stakeholders.”
Requests for comments regarding disbursed amounts, recipients, background research, objectives, deliverables, etc., have been sent to PADF, USAID, NDI, IRI, and Freedom House.
It is imperative to consider the moral compass of some individuals involved here. Freddy Superlano was recently exposed for issuing letters of exoneration to Alex Saab, the Colombian criminal who became a millionaire overnight thanks to Nicolás Maduro. Juan Guaidó and Freddy Guevara, two top leaders of Voluntad Popular, were caught doing exactly the same with Mauro Libi, another thug of Saab’s ilk. Additionally, the connection between Alejandro Betancourt and Guaidó’s closest relatives is now public knowledge.
Moreover, sources have indicated that Alejandro Plaz Castillo, appointed by Guaidó as Presidential Commissioner for Economic Development, is involved in coordinating funding requests submitted to U.S. institutions by the four political parties co-governing with Guaidó (Voluntad Popular, Acción Democrática, Primero Justicia, and Un Nuevo Tiempo).
Guaidó’s interim presidency recently announced its interest in taking over TELESUR, the chavista propaganda channel inspired by Russia Today that broadcasts throughout the Americas, which The Intercept presents as a sort of trustworthy news service. Allegations have surfaced that funding requests have already been submitted for this purpose, according to individuals familiar with the matter.
UPDATED 02/07/2020: As part of Juan Guaidó’s global charm offensive, one stop was Washington, where he met Trump, starred in the State of the Union address, and visited USAID, State, etc. Following the publication of this article, sources in DC informed this site that Guaidó and his crew were outraged and seeking ways, both legal and illegal, to silence this site. We take pride in having no followers from any part of Venezuela’s political spectrum, as it means we’re exceptionally good at what we do.
Guaidó, however, continues to reveal his true colors. Venezuelans still know nothing from him regarding the misuse of humanitarian funds on alcohol, prostitution, travel, etc. Guaidó has, in fact, said nothing about his father’s meetings with Alejandro Betancourt in Madrid, nor has he mentioned the arrest of Betancourt’s associate, Francisco Convit, a fugitive wanted by the Department of Justice, who remains surrounded by people like Freddy Superlano… #ChávezdeNaiguatá
His latest effort to dismiss perfectly legitimate criticisms on this issue is a tweet claiming that the information presented above is basically the “disinformation campaign” of chavismo.
We are still waiting for any explanation regarding what political organizations led by some of his closest collaborators are doing concerning agricultural programs…
Requests for comment, as previously mentioned, have gone unanswered. One thing is absolutely certain: it will not be Guaidó who pursues the corrupt individuals who have led Venezuela into its greatest humanitarian crisis in history.