Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 10 OctOber 2018
Questions, condemnations of Venezuela dissident's death

By SCOTT SMITH uro killer!" contending that
FABIOLA SANCHEZ he had been murdered.
Associated Press They later assembled out-
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) side Caracas' morgue to
— Questions and condem- demand his body be hand-
nation of Venezuela's lead- ed over as rumors spread
ership poured in Tuesday he would be cremated to
following the suspicious hide evidence of possible
death of an opposition torture.
activist who authorities say "There's no doubt this was
evaded justice by throwing an assassination," opposi-
himself from the 10th floor tion leader Julio Borges
of a police building. said in a video from exile
Fernando Alban was arrest- in neighboring Colombia,
ed Friday at Caracas' inter- without providing evidence
national airport upon ar- of his claim. "The only thing
rival from a trip to New York left for this government is
to galvanize world opinion torture, violence and de-
against President Nicolas struction."
Maduro's socialist govern- While dozens of youths
ment. were killed in violent street
The country's chief prose- battles with security forces
cutor said that Alban killed Staff members of jailed councilman Fernando Alberto Alban Salazar embrace outside the Bolivar- last year, the death of gov-
himself Monday by leap- ian National Security Service (SEBIN) headquarters in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. ernment opponents while
ing from the 10th floor of Associated Press in state custody came as
the state police agency's a shock to many Venezue-
headquarters, where he called a human rights vio- what happened," said the opposition-controlled lans, something akin to the
was being held for alleged lation, while Spain's left- Ravina Shamdasani of the Congress. far deadlier, right-wing dic-
involvement in an interna- ist government called for U.N.'s top human rights of- A who's who of opposition tatorships that dominated
tional plot to kill Maduro us- consultations the Venezu- fice in Geneva. "Wheth- leaders took turns filing past South America in the 1970s
ing explosive-laden drones. elan ambassador in Madrid er Mr. Alban committed Alban's casket, draped that Maduro frequently de-
But opposition leaders, over the death. suicide, whether he was in the Venezuelan flag, nounces.
backed by several foreign Meanwhile, the United Na- thrown, or what exactly while his grief-stricken sister The opposition claims that
governments, have cast tions urged officials in Ca- happened." placed a framed portrait of more than 100 Venezu-
doubt on the official ver- racas to launch an impar- As international criticism her deeply religious brother elans opposed to Maduro
sion, and accused Madu- tial probe to resolve the of Maduro's government shadowed by an image of are being held as "political
ro's government of torture conflicting versions of how grew, Alban's family, fellow Jesus Christ. prisoners," some for more
and murdering the politi- Alban died. politicians and family mem- Hours after his death, a few than four years, with little
cian. "There are so many differ- bers of other jailed activists dozen of Alban's supporters access to the outside world
The U.S. State Department ent reports and quite a lot paid a final tribute to him gathered outside the po- and their legal rights rou-
said it condemns what it of speculation on exactly Tuesday in a ceremony at lice building yelling "Mad- tinely trampled on.q

Former Guatemala vice president sentenced in corruption case

By SONIA PEREZ D. Baldetti has consistently ecutors reach the previ-
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — denied wrongdoing. She ously untouchable upper
Former Guatemalan Vice resigned from the vice echelons of Guatemalan
President Roxana Baldetti presidency in 2015 while power.
was sentenced to more facing corruption charges President Jimmy Morales
than 15 years in prison Tues- in a separate case. Former last month railed against
day for involvement in a President Otto Perez Molina the commission during a
fraudulent state contract was forced to step down speech at the United Na-
to decontaminate a major shortly afterward and re- tions and has banned the
lake. mains in jail awaiting trial. commission's chief, Ivan
Prosecutors backed by a Baldetti also faces drug Velasquez, from re-enter-
U.N. anti-corruption com- trafficking charges in the ing the country.
mission accused Baldetti United States. A Guate- Morales had earlier an-
and 12 other people of malan court last year ap- nounced that the commis-
conspiring to grant an $18 proved a request to extra- sion would not have its mis-
million contract to clean Guatemala's former Vice President Roxana Baldetti waits for the dite her after several cases sion extended beyond its
start of one of her several corruption trials in Guatemala City,
up Lake Amatitlan to Israel- Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. in Guatemala are resolved. current mandate that ends
based M. Tarcic Engineer- Associated Press The U.S. federal court in- in September 2019.
ing Ltd. dictment alleges Baldetti Guatemalan prosecu-
The company said it had chlorine. her "the big chief" of the and others conspired to tors with the commission's
a special formula that Judge Pablo Xitumul read plan. traffic cocaine to the U.S. support have three times
could clean the lake within the 15 year and 6 month The Israeli company's rep- between 2010 and 2015. sought to have Morales
months. But investigators sentence on the 55-year- resentative, Uri Roitman, The sentence is an exam- stripped of his immunity so
determined the compa- old Baldetti for illegal as- was sentenced to 11 years ple of how the U.N.-backed that he can be investigat-
ny used a substance that sociation, fraud and influ- for fraud and illegal asso- anti-corruption commission ed for alleged illicit cam-
was merely water, salt and ence trafficking. He called ciation. has been able to help pros- paign finance.q