These funds were delivered during Guaido’s ‘interim government’ as ‘humanitarian aid’ through an NGO that belong to politicians who live without working abroad.

Disclosed files from the U.S. embassy in Venezuela indicate that far-right Venezuelan opposition figure and fugitive from justice Carlos Vecchio, received US$116 million through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

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Vecchio was appointed ambassador to the U.S. during the sham “Interim Government” staged by former congressman and self-proclaimed president Juan Guaido. According to the disclosed files, the funds were granted by Mark Green, who has served as the director of USAID since 2017.

These funds were supposedly allocated “as development assistance for Venezuelans living in Venezuela,” and were intended to reach them through various NGOs. However, the management of these funds lacked transparency, and they were misappropriated. It later emerged that these NGOs were linked to other Venezuelan politicians and their relatives, who live abroad without working.

According to the leaked files, in 2019, USAID signed an agreement with Guaido’s “Interim Government” to provide US$98 million in “humanitarian aid.” Vecchio was present at the signing of this agreement in his capacity as “ambassador” in Washington.

“This historic agreement demonstrates U.S. support for a transitioning Venezuela. There is no doubt about it. The importance of Venezuela for the U.S., for Venezuelans, and for the hemisphere,” he said.

Another video shows a second event in which Vecchio participated, this time alongside opposition figure and fellow fugitive Julio Borges. Both received a total of US$56 million from Green with the stated purpose of “restoring democracy.”

On Saturday, it was revealed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating Guaido for corruption and embezzlement of funds that were intended for supposed “humanitarian aid” in Venezuela. The FBI is trying to determine the whereabouts of approximately US$1 billion managed between 2018 and 2020 under this pretext, which was provided by USAID. According to journalistic sources and media reports, only 2% of that amount was properly used.

Among Guaido’s close associates under investigation are Vecchio and Carlos Mendez, who is linked to the Miami-based television channel EVTV, as well as Guaido’s former chief of staff, Roberto Marrero, and Yon Goicoechea, who managed funds during the “Interim Government.”

Guaido’s self-proclamation as “interim president” took place in January 2019. From that moment on, he and his “Cabinet” managed millions in resources supposedly to alleviate the “humanitarian crisis” in Venezuela, which was, in reality, caused by the economic war waged by the U.S. and the European Union.

Days ago, the vice president of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), Diosdado Cabello, revealed that the U.S. government is investigating corruption related to funds for “humanitarian aid” during Guaido’s interim government. He added that the investigations directly target Guaido, Leopoldo Lopez, Julio Borges, Freddy Guevara, Miguel Pizarro, David Smolansky, and Vecchio, among others.

At the end of January, the Trump administration froze nearly all funds for foreign aid programs for 90 days, including those provided by USAID.

Billionaire Elon Musk, who heads the Government Efficiency Department in the Trump administration, posted on his social media this Saturday that there is an “incredible level of waste and corruption” in the government and USAID, among others. “USAID is a criminal organization. It’s time for it to die,” Musk said.

teleSUR/ JF Source: Agencies

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