Fiscal Jean Karin López Ruiz, a key figure in the PDVSA Cripto case, was arrested on Friday night in Caracas by DGCIM agents.
According to Alberto News, there were suspicions against him since December 22, when he left on a vacation in Europe with his son and wife, María de los Ángeles Valencia Montoya, and stopped responding to calls from the Attorney General of the Republic, Tarek William Saab. This situation triggered an alert about him and his entourage, and the first allegations of extortion by the investigating judge against his victims began to surface.
Jean Karin López Ruiz’s international reputation was also reflected in 2023, when he signed many of the accusations in the PDVSA Cripto case. He was particularly known for practicing extortion on his accused, using his position to alleviate their financial situations.
Carlos, 11 Feb 2023, Lopez returned to Venezuela and was swiftly relieved of his duties by Tarek William Saab’s direct order. The next day, DGCIM agents appeared at his home, where they searched and seized three portable computers, two cell phones, jewelry, and around $40,000 in cash.
The case that triggered the investigation was the bribe that Italian Alessandro Bazzoni allegedly delivered to him in January in Milan. Bazzoni, who had been released from US sanctions, agreed to pay $3 million in cash to liberate him and his wife, Norwegian bank executive Siri Evjemo-Nysveen , who is wanted in Venezuela. Alessandro Bazzoni, still in close contact with the Venezuelan government and a global operator of Alex Saab, handed over all the evidence to the Venezuelan Public Ministry to detain the fiscal and also to negotiate the improvement of his own process, citing the benefit of cooperation.
Along with López Ruiz, several others are being investigated (although not detained), including lawyer César Calzadilla, former Zulia State fiscal superior José Gregorio Muñoz, and former Fiscal Court President Pedro Velasco Prieto, who are named as his connection with the accused’s lawyers, using pressure to make the money demands.
@lombardoven El fiscal Jean Marín López Ruiz y el bolichico Francisco Convit son las nuevas víctimas del régimen. El primero por haber aceptado un pago en efectivo de parte de Alessandro Bazzoni y Siri Evjemo-Nysveen. El segundo, por volverse viral en una cancha de padel de Baruta #noticias #fyp ♬ El Preso – Fruko y sus Tesos