Everything that has happened in Venezuela around the fraudulent and repressive electoral act of July 28 is extremely serious. And although it has been receiving some attention from the world, the political survival of Nicolás Maduro would indicate that this democratic push has been insufficient. Because, in addition, the regime has moved, with impunity, to a harsher phase of persecution and repression against the political opposition and independent journalism.
That being the case, there is no doubt that the “democratic” image of Maduro and his regime is seriously affected. Particularly in regard to something crucial like its democratic legitimacy – and legality. Meanwhile, the world watches, amazed, as the autocrat consolidates his status as such. After changing the date of Christmas, people wait anxiously and wonder: What will he do next? Change night to day? The number of months? Anything could happen given the impunity that Maduro has been benefiting from, against all odds.
But there is one issue that actually turns out to be the other side of “Maduro” authoritarianism: corruption. Considering the monitoring done by independent organizations such as Transparency International of the serious “sins” against democratic values and rights, there is also a very large and ongoing corruption. In the annals of the history of corruption in Latin America, it would probably occupy a particularly prominent and important space and place.
Grand corruption: unprecedented
Given the scarcity of information from official sources, there is nothing more fair and pertinent than taking into account the information and investigations carried out by Transparency International in Venezuela, which has been carrying them out since 2018.
Thus, for example, it has been detected that by March 2023, there would be at least 220 cases of embezzlement of Venezuelan public assets announced by justice system bodies. Although the total magnitude of cases and the money stolen may be greater than those reported, what is already known (61% of the registered cases) amounts to spectacular amounts: seven times Venezuela’s international reserves, estimated at 9.532 billion for March 2023, according to figures from the Central Bank of Venezuela.
The amount of money committed would amount to 68.311 billion, a figure that could be a kind of record.in the theft of public resources through corruption. According to the registration and systematization of these cases, most of them would have an essentially “transnational” character. According to what was identified by Transparency International from the open cases, “…so far, at least 146 of these cases are being processed in the justice systems of 26 third countries and 74 in Venezuela.”
Corruption and human rights
Regarding these cases investigated in Venezuela, there is no official information on the status of the investigations, nor is there any certainty about the public amounts involved. However, it has emerged that, according to Transparency International, in most of the cases, people are accused “who oppose the Government, who have been in its ranks, but are treated as traitors or who have collaborated with the justice systems of other countries.” So much bread to slice.
As Transparency accurately notes, “international reports have shown the relationship and impact of corruption on the guarantee of Human Rights, in sectors such as health, food, education, quality of public services such as drinking water, electricity, as well as on development opportunities, overcoming poverty and inequality.” Critical issues, therefore, on which protection bodies such as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights are called to take a leading role.
Victims and the “crusade” against corruption
When corruption is large and “high-level”, as in this case, it has consequences and repercussions on people’s lives. Not only in the large balance sheets of national accounts. It is a sinister paradox that in a situation like that of a country with enormous wealth like Venezuela, the growing corruption – and enrichment – of a few directly impacts the lives – and accelerated impoverishment – not of a few people but of millions.
This has led to the largest migration process in Latin America in history, both in terms of the number of people who emigrated and its impact, mainly in Latin America and in countries such as Colombia and Peru. With more than 8 million Venezuelans now displaced/refugees in Latin America, as Transparency International has highlighted, “the largest migration in the region and one of the highest in the world has originated.”
It is true that at the beginning of 2023 the Venezuelan Government together with the Public Ministry promoted the so-called “crusade” against corruption. There was more noise than nuts. It affected a few high-level officials. But since it was more superficial and “one-off” than substantive, many have interpreted the actions carried out as, more than anything, a step aimed at a kind of “internal purge”, and not so much a serious and in-depth investigation.
In any case, what is clear is that the prevailing rule is the lack of transparency. This was the case in the recent electoral process and the role of the obscure and biased electoral authority. And it was also the case in the process of the so-called “crusade” with the scarce – or non-existent – information that was later known about the causes and the amounts looted.
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