Last year,
the General Prosecutor accused five people
of being behind the assassination of prosecutor Danilo Anderson: Banker Nelson
Mezerhane, journalist Patricia Poleo, a retired General from Plaza Altamira, a
reporter of Cuban origin named Romani and surprisingly, an active General Jaime
Escalante in charge of the military regional command called CORE I and
reportedly very close to Chavez.
All of
these people were jailed on the basis of the testimony of a single man, the so
called “super
witness” Giovanny Vazquez, who claimed that he had been at a meeting with
all of them where the assassination was planned. Vazquez was soon discredited
as a witness when it was learned he was not a psychiatrist like he claimed, he
was an expert forger, had been a paramilitary and was actually in jail when the
Panama
meeting had supposedly taken place. For months, the Prosecutor General would not
admit any of this until a couple of months ago he admitted
Vazquez had “deceived him”.
Immediately,
the lawyers of Poleo, who is in the US and Mezerhane who was freed on his own
recognizance in December asked that the case against them be dropped, but the
prosecutor General has refused to so far, saying he has other evidence that
confirms Vazquez’ testimony. This week, Mezerhane’s lawyers denounced that some
of the files in the case had been forged, prompting an investigation. But the charges
against all five accused remain in effect.
Now, as we
say in Spanish, you can be either with God or the Devil, but not with both. Of
Vazquez’ testimony has been confirmed then the five people charged were
involved, if it is not then all five should be exonerated. But what I find
amazing is that this week, on Hugo
Chavez’ personal orders, General Escalante was reinstated in his position,
even as the Prosecutor General continues to accuse him of being involved with
the assassination of Anderson.
President
Chavez is not only making a mockery of Justice and the Rule of Law in Venezuela, but
openly laughing and mocking those that he has put in charge of that same judicial
system.
10:34:43 PM 
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