Federal case against former prosecutor Luisa Ortega Díaz continues to advance in Miami

The federal case against the former prosecutor of Venezuela, Luisa Ortega Díazcontinues its course in the city of Miami (United States). A case that the federal prosecutor’s office in this city has been pursuing for at least seven years and that has been expanded thanks to the addition of new testimonies.

According to what was stated by some sources, with these testimonies from people close to Ortega Díaz, Other details were learned about how the former official operated while she was in charge of the Public Ministry in Venezuela.

Various witnesses, including a former Venezuelan prosecutor who worked very closely with her and who later settled in the United States, as well as one of the intermediaries who operated for her, have been some of the witnesses who have collaborated with these investigations. federal authorities, according to sources who knew about the conversations with prosecutors from the Southern District of Florida, as reported by Notitarde.

It must be remembered that The former Attorney General of Venezuela had already been mentioned as part of a laborious bribe payment scheme in a criminal case that arose in Miami, which ended with the conviction of the Creole businessman Carlos Urbano Fermin.

Precisely, Urbano Fermín ended up pleading guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States, in addition to having admitted to paying at least one million dollars in bribes to a “high-ranking prosecutor,” presumed to have been Ortega Díaz.as a way to ensure that the Venezuelan Prosecutor’s Office stopped any investigation of its multimillion-dollar construction contracts with the state oil company PDVSA.

The businessman was sentenced in May 2022 to a sentence of 120 days in prison, as well as five years of probation..

Ortega attributed Urbano Fermín’s confession as the product of a strategy by the Nicolás Maduro regime to provoke a confession to damage its reputation.

However The case of Urbano Fermín is just one of several in which Ortega would have received numerous irregular payments through the North American financial system.while he was Attorney General of Venezuela.

Another case focuses on the bribes he allegedly received while he held the powerful position of Attorney General in the Chavista era, from personalities linked to the banking sector in Venezuela.

According to a Venezuelan opposition source in Miami who knew about the investigation, Ortega allegedly received payments from bankers. Víctor Vargas and Tomas Niembro when they were both in charge of the Western Discount Bank (BOD), to control the investigations of the Prosecutor’s Office into a fraud scheme directed by the BOD and subsidiaries in Curacao (Banco del Orinoco NV) and Panama (Allbank) in which millions of dollars disappeared from dollar accounts belonging to thousands of Venezuelan account holders .

The Prosecutor’s Office never concluded the investigations that implicated the BOD directors Vargas and Niembro, and currently the bankers do not face any type of sanctions for the disappearance of the millionaire deposits.

Vargas sold his properties in the United States, including a $77 million mansion in Palm Beach, an hour north of Miami, in 2017 allegedly to evade a wide-ranging criminal investigation against him for his alleged involvement in fraud and payment schemes. bribes, sources revealed.

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**Interview with Legal Expert Dr. Emilia Torres on Luisa ‍Ortega Díaz‍ and Her Ongoing Legal Troubles**

**Interviewer:** Thank you for joining us today, Dr. Torres. As we delve into the case against former Venezuelan prosecutor Luisa Ortega Díaz, can you ⁣provide us with an overview of her legal situation?

**Dr. Emilia Torres:** Thank you for having me. Luisa Ortega Díaz has faced significant legal challenges since her departure ⁤from Venezuela. As you know, she was a prominent figure ⁤in the Venezuelan government until she opposed⁢ the regime. Currently, ⁢the federal case against ⁤her in Miami⁤ has been ongoing for about seven years, fueled by new testimonies that have emerged.

**Interviewer:** What ‌are some key developments in ⁣this case?

**Dr.​ Torres:** Recently, several ⁤witnesses have come ​forward, including a former prosecutor who worked⁤ closely with​ her and has since relocated to the U.S. They have helped shed light on Ortega Díaz’s ⁢conduct ⁢while she was leading the Venezuelan Public Ministry. This ​includes allegations ⁤related to a bribe payment scheme. One significant case to note is that of businessman Carlos⁢ Urbano Fermin, who admitted to paying Ortega Díaz a substantial amount​ to avoid investigations into his dealings with the state oil company, PDVSA.

**Interviewer:** It sounds like the testimonies are pivotal. How do you⁣ think they will affect the outcome ‍of her case?

**Dr. Torres:** Absolutely, ‍the testimonies ⁣are central to the prosecution’s case. They offer insights into not only the inner ⁣workings of ⁤the Venezuelan government but also Ortega⁢ Díaz’s specific actions and decisions. If the‌ evidence corroborates the ⁢claims made by these witnesses, it could lead to severe​ legal ​consequences for her.

**Interviewer:** Given the gravity of ⁤these allegations, what implications ‌could this case have for Venezuelan politics⁤ or if she were to be convicted?

**Dr. Torres:** If Ortega Díaz were to be convicted, it would signal to the​ international⁢ community⁣ that ‍there are repercussions for high-ranking officials involved in corrupt practices.‍ It might also‍ encourage other dissidents to come⁣ forward regarding government corruption in Venezuela. ⁣Moreover, it ⁤could impact the Venezuelan political landscape by further delegitimizing the current government.

**Interviewer:** Thank you for your insights,⁤ Dr. Torres. This situation ⁢continues to​ evolve, ​and it will be⁤ interesting to see how‍ it ​unfolds‍ in the coming months.

**Dr. Torres:** Thank you for having me. It’s a complex ⁣case, but ⁤one particularly important for‌ understanding the ⁢wider implications of corruption in the Venezuelan government.