GBRV ISSUES ARREST WARRANT FOR FORMER ARAGUA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CARACAS 001119

SIPDIS

HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
DEPARTMENT PASS TO AID/OTI (RPORTER)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/24/2029
TAGS: PGOV KDEM VE
SUBJECT: GBRV ISSUES ARREST WARRANT FOR FORMER ARAGUA
GOVERNOR

CARACAS 00001119 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR ROBIN D. MEYER,
FOR REASON 1.4(D)


1. (C) Summary: The Government of the Bolivarian Republic
of Venezuela (GBRV) issued an arrest warrant and asked
Interpol for a capture order August 24 for the former
Governor of Aragua State, Didalco Bolivar, on corruption
charges. Bolivar, who is the Deputy Secretary General of the
opposition Podemos party, had fled to Peru and submitted a
political asylum request two days prior. Lima has not yet
indicated how it will rule, but Chavistas have been quick to
link Bolivar's petition to the asylum granted by Peru to
exiled opposition leader Manuel Rosales in April. It is
unclear why the GBRV has chosen to target Bolivar, but his
status as a Chavista-turned-opponent and vocal support of the
United States may have contributed to his selection. End
Summary.

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BOLIVAR SEEKS ASYLUM IN LIMA
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2. (SBU) A court in Aragua State issued an arrest warrant
August 24 for Bolivar on charges that he is linked to
purported irregularities in the 2004 adjudication of the
purchasing of medical equipment and ambulances while he was
Governor. Bolivar did not attend a court-ordered arraignment
in July, but his legal team argues that the state never
opened a formal criminal trial against him. The arrest order
also allows for the seizure of his goods, furniture, and real
estate. Police searched Bolivar's house in Maracay on August
4 and 11, allegedly removing sculptures, clothing, electronic
devices, and artwork. The court also submitted a
solicitation to Interpol asking for a capture order for
Bolivar.


3. (SBU) Bolivar submitted his petition for asylum in Peru
on August 22. His lawyer, Walter Gutierrez, announced that
the Peruvian Government would begin considering Bolivar's
petition for political asylum in the next few days and he
predicted that they would have a response within 10 to 15
days given the urgency of the case. PSUV Governor of Aragua
State Rafael Isea announced August 24 that he would call for
the confiscation of all of his predecessor's belongings as a
means to compensate for "damages that occurred during his
tenure." Isea added that Bolivar was a "coward" for seeking
political asylum in Peru, which he called a "protector of
delinquents" for granting asylum to several members of
Venezuela's political opposition, including former Maracaibo
Mayor Manuel Rosales.

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MARACAY AMERICAN CORNER
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4. (C) This case is particularly noteworthy because shortly
following Isea's November 2008 election, his government
effectively seized an American Corner that was in Maracay,
the capital city of Aragua State. Bolivar had inaugurated
the corner during his gubernatorial tenure with very public,
pro-US fanfare, inviting some 200 guests to the event and
overseeing a commemoration of John F. Kennedy and his wife --
for which the center is named. In a pointed display of
anti-Americanism, however, the incoming Isea government
replaced the corner's coordinator with a non-English-speaker
in violation of the corner MOU and removed all US
paraphernalia, including pictures of JFK and an American
flag. When a PAS officer went to Maracay earlier this year
to negotiate the return of the corner's resources, he found
the Embassy-supplied books in a bathroom. The corner's
coordinator met with the officer but has, to date, refused to
return any of the US-donated materials.


5. (C) Comment: While we are unable to make a judgment on
the charges against Bolivar, this is at best a selective
prosectution, by a typically lethargic judiciary. The
campaign against him suggests that this is a case of
political retribution, as Bolivar was reportedly a one-time
close ally of and successfuly campaign manager for Chavez.
Given these severed ties, Bolivar's warm welcome to
Ambassador Duddy during the American Center's inauguration
may have rankled Chavez. In the past, Chavez has not borne
dissent well among his erstwhile supporters, and Podemos
officials made themselves the enemies of the GBRV after their
decision not to join the newly-formed PSUV in 2007. End
Comment.

CARACAS 00001119 002.2 OF 002


DUDDY