Venezuela: Maduro’s permitted nephew, the key to continuing dialogue between the government and the opposition?

Former treasurer and former vice president of PDVSA, Carlos Erik Malpica Flores, 49, is the favorite nephew of first ladies Cilia Flores and Nicolás Maduro for their economic and financial operator, This is part of the conditions set by the Chavista regime to resume negotiations with the interim government of Juan Guaidó, which has been suspended in Mexico since last October.

And it was in the last meetings held between representatives of Joe Biden’s government and the Chavista regime in Caracas to partially ease oil sanctions in the South American country that depended on the resumption of dialogue with Mexico, the name of the presidential couple’s nephew has emerged as a currency of exchange to return to dialogue.

Maduro is conditioned the release of his nephew to resume talks with the opposition in Mexico, whose “formal talks” began in Caracas last week.

“After the visit of American officials to Venezuela, it was said that this was the first name that Nicolás Maduro put on the table in the negotiations and the second place of his figurehead Alex Saab (prisoner in the US), in addition to the concession of oil “, reported in Clarion the researcher Roberto Deniz of the Armando.Info portal.

The penalties

In fact, according to the Reuters agency, the US Treasury Department. is preparing to renew Chevron’s license in the coming days to work in Venezuela, thus taking the first steps to oxygenate and encourage the Maduro regime to do the same in the face of the opposition.

Although they are uncomfortable concessions for the opponent Guaidó, that is the coalition “He was definitely rejected” to request the removal of personal sanctions against the nephew who sat at the negotiating table.

“Our goal is free and fair presidential elections, and the restoration of the rights of all Venezuelans, including the release of all political prisoners,” the opposition leader said.

Omar Barboza, executive secretary of the opposition Guaidó Unitary Platform, told the local newspaper that “they are awaiting a response from the Maduro regime, which will allow conditions for free elections to be created, and affirmed that this is necessary to do concessions on both sides. There are good hopes of re-establishing the talks“, accurate.

Rafael Ramírez, the former president of the state-owned PDVSA and former Minister of Oil (2002-2013) and until 2016 served as Venezuela’s representative before the UN Security Council, emulated the president’s nephew whom he calls Erik Malpica to dry up and qualify as “the most important person for the madurista government”.

What marks Chavista’s once powerful former oil czar is the entire staff of the “madurista” and the long list of 140 sanctioned leaders, “Nicolás Maduro, the only one in mind, save Erick Malpica!”

The importance of the nephew

Why is Erick Malpica so important to Maduro? Ramírez wonders on his website. “She is not just another niece of Cilia Flores, which is not strange, because in this government, most of the direct relatives of the presidential couple play key roles or have a direct influence on it; the really important its role in attacking the power of madurists, which made him the most important economic operator for Maduro and his inner circle. This has happened since he was in the Foreign Ministry, where he was the manager of then Foreign Minister Maduro.

Malpica Flores, 49, is the most powerful financial hierarch of the Venezuelan presidential couple and the Chavista government, acting in the shadows. He is quiet, reserved, does not give interviews or has accounts on social networks but he likes luxury, providing parties with french rosé champagnetravel on private planes, stay in five-star hotels and exclusive restaurants on Caribbean islands.

Malpica moves like a fish in the Caribbean Sea. One of his favorites is the small island of Saint Barth, in the eastern Caribbean, where he set up a party for Christmas 2014 to celebrate his appointment as vice president of PDVSA with pink champagne.

Since his uncle Nicolás took office in 2013, he has held the most important positions such as the National Treasury Office, Ministry of Economy and Finance, state-owned PDVSA, BANDES and FONDES banking entity, secretariat of the Presidency, the Foreign Ministry, the National Assembly and various foundations.

To all the powerful nephews of the president he is treated as a financial octopus which managed and continues to control the country’s budget coffers, profiting from the treasury as the country experiences the worst economic and social crisis in its history, which has caused the exodus of more than 6 million Venezuelans abroad .

Before punishing corruption created 16 fabricated companies in Panama, as reported in the Panama Papers. The isthmus newspaper La Estrella published reports about the acquisition of property in Panama for her aunt, the first lady. The same thing is happening in the Dominican Republic.

There is a close relationship between the socialist government of the islands of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the Chavista regime because of the ties that exist in their tax haven. A month ago Maduro canceled his oil debt of 70 million dollars. Venezuela funded the island’s airport and other works, so that the first lady could “study English,” according to the president.

the nephew of the president is allowed of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (OFAC) on July 26, 2017 for his alleged responsibility for the corruption of the Chavista regime. And still blacklisted.

On March 30, 2018, he was also punished by the Panamanian government, as well as by companies related to his close relatives, for being high risk for money laundering, financing terrorism and funding the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. widespread destruction, according to the newspaper The National.

Canada and Europe also represented Malpica Flores, the hidden face of financial power behind Miraflores ’throne, who is now spread his tentacles towards the collection of municipal taxes from companies operating in the country, such as the case of the garbage man “Fospuca”, whose owner José Sión Elarba informed the four winds that he was a “personal friend” of the nephew of the first lady.

The OAS included this in the sanctions of TIAR (Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance) member countries. However, Maduro favored his nephew and his contractor friends by contracts for Carnet de la Patria, the “CLAP” food bags (Local Food and Production Committee) and the construction of jobs and houses, among others. , undermined by corruption, according to the portal Armando.Information.