Costa Rica arrests suspect for murder of former Venezuelan military officer Ronald Ojeda in Chile

Costa Rican authorities arrested a man on Friday on suspicion of participating in the murder of former Venezuelan military officer Ronald Ojeda, a dissident of the government of Nicolás Maduro who was seeking asylum in Chile.

A source from the Costa Rican Ministry of Security confirmed to EFE the arrest of this person in the town of Paso Canoas, on the land border with Panama, following a red alert for his arrest was triggered in the systems.

The man, surnamed Villegas Rodríguez, remains under the orders of the Costa Rican authorities pending determination of his legal status.

“Interpol informed us that one of the fugitives suspected of the murder of former lieutenant Ronald Ojeda has been arrested in Costa Rica. We are in close contact with the Attorney General’s Office, Interpol and the Judiciary to initiate an extradition request,” the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a public statement.

Villegas Rodríguez is suspected of participating in the murder of Ronald Ojeda, which occurred in Santiago de Chile earlier this year.

Ojeda, a dissident of the government of Nicolás Maduro and a political asylum seeker in Chile, was kidnapped on February 21 in Santiago and his remains were found ten days later in a town on the outskirts of the capital, buried under a cement block.

This case generated a diplomatic conflict between Venezuela and Chile, as both parties exchanged accusations regarding the investigation.

On April 12, Chilean Interior Minister Carolina Tohá said that the government “will demand that Venezuela fulfill its responsibilities” in relation to the Ojeda case.

On June 5, Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek Saab accused Chile of having provided “absolutely no” information and demanded “reciprocity” in the case.

Saab said at the time that the murder of the former military man was an operation to “cloud” relations between Venezuela and Chile, and pointed to Chilean and foreign intelligence agencies “with spurious interests” as possible perpetrators.

In response to these statements, Chilean President Gabriel Boric announced on June 6 that he would send a note of protest to Venezuela, saying that “the comments of the Venezuelan prosecutor effectively show that there is no adequate will to resolve a case that is tremendously complex.”

San Jose / EFE