Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 16 May 2018

Kellogg latest U.S. brand to ditch crisis-wracked Venezuela

By JUAN CARLOS HERNAN- at a campaign rally, add-
DEZ ing that he would seek the
MARACAY, Venezuela international arrest of the
(AP) — Kellogg Co. closed owners of Kellogg's Vene-
operations in Venezuela zuelan subsidiary. "Imperial-
and laid off 300 workers ists! Oligarchs! Nobody can
Tuesday at a time of wide- scare our people."
spread hunger in the crisis- Workers arriving Tuesday for
wracked South American the early shift at Kellogg's
nation. factory in Maracay were
The Battle Creek, Michigan- surprised to find a notice
based company said in a taped to an iron gate in-
statement that it ceased forming them the company
operations as a result of had been forced to shutter
the "current economic and the plant. As news of the
social deterioration" in Ven- layoffs spread, Venezuela's
ezuela. labor minister showed up to
The move drew an angry speak with the workers.
rebuke from socialist Presi- The factory, with a giant fig-
dent Nicolas Maduro, who ure of Tony the Tiger lording
accused the company over the entrance, produc-
of trying to sabotage his es 75 percent of the break-
chances of getting re- fast cereals consumed by A statue of Kellogg's mascot, Tony the Tiger, stands behind the Kellogg's factory's fence, as work-
elected in Sunday's presi- Venezuelans, according ers gather outside in Maracay, Venezuela, Tuesday, May 15, 2018.
dential vote. He said he to the company's website. Associated Press
had ordered the compa- A spokeswoman for Kel-
ny's plant in the central city logg's said its market share "It's going to be a tough erations once conditions ny's overall earnings results.
of Maracay to be turned was lower than 75 percent blow," Rodriguez said, ex- improve. The company has Kellogg's joins multination-
over to Kellogg's workers so but declined to say by how pressing anger that the been producing cereal in als including Bridgestone,
they can continue to pro- much. company had decided to Venezuela since 1961 and Kimberly-Clark and Gener-
duce cereals. Omar Rodriguez, who had let go of its workforce in the market had at one al Mills that have closed or
"Why are they doing it to- spent 26 years working at such an impersonal man- point been its biggest in reduced operations in Ven-
day? Because we are four Kellogg's, said he didn't ner. "What am I going to Latin America after Mexi- ezuela amid hyperinflation,
days away from elections know how he would feed bring home? Nothing." co, although in 2016 it de- shortages and a recession
and they think it will spook his three children without The company said it looks consolidated its Venezuela deeper than the Great De-
the people," Maduro said his job. forward to resuming op- business from the compa- pression of the 1930s.q
Guatemala: New details given in graft probe of president

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — means to deliver anony- sue the case. "There are nied wrongdoing. A presi- market companies, and
Investigators revealed new mous funds to the National abundant elements to dential spokesman said all have been summoned
details Tuesday night of a Convergence Front when think of the possibility of be- there was no immediate to appear before a judge
probe against Guatema- Morales was the party's ginning a hearing" on with- comment. Aldana alleged in the case. "Financing po-
lan President Jimmy Mo- secretary-general and le- drawing Morales' immunity, that the money, some $2 litical parties is not a crime.
rales relating to purported gal representative during Aldana said, adding that million, was channeled The crime is to finance po-
illicit campaign financing, his presidential run. some documents are still through a company called litical campaigns anony-
saying the material is suffi- The announcement, made pending but she believes Nova Servicios to the party mously or with resources
cient to again seek to have public the day before Al- Porras, who is to be sworn without being reported from organized crime," said
his immunity from prosecu- dana's term in office ends, in Thursday, should be able to electoral authorities as Ivan Velasquez, head of a
tion lifted. puts her Morales-picked to do so within two weeks. Guatemalan law requires. U.N.-sponsored anti-graft
Chief prosecutor Thelma successor, Maria Consuelo Morales was in Israel and did The businesspeople named commission in Guatemala
Aldana said businesspeo- Porras, in the position of not immediately comment, are involved in cement, that is also involved in the
ple allegedly created a choosing whether to pur- but in the past he has de- beverage, food and super- probe.q