CARACAS, Venezuela, (teleSUR) — The Venezuelan attorney general’s office dismantled what would constitute a criminal network dedicated to subtract financial amounts from the ministry of economy and finance of the South American country, as reported by Tarek William Saab on Wednesday from Caracas.
According to the attorney general, William Saab, eight citizens were arrested, including three officials of the ministry of economy and finance, for the theft of large sums of money from that body, as well as from the National Development Fund through the use of electronic means.
He explained that the investigation carried out by the public prosecutor’s office showed that the detainees also incurred in the illegal installation of software in computers of both entities, which allowed them to have access to user accounts and bank passwords.
With the information obtained, transfers were made to accounts of legal or natural persons who borrowed money, and then diverted the money or bought dollars in the illegal market, in order to legitimize the extracted funds, explained the Attorney General.
“Tarek William Saab: Today we will refer to a case that affects an agency of the national executive, the role of some officials who have used electronic mechanisms to steal money from the accounts of this agency.”
Likewise, the authorities are holding Milexi Torres and Karen Rondón, who also worked at the ministry of economy and finance, and are facing charges for the crimes of money laundering, undue access, fraud and association to commit crimes.
The Venezuelan public prosecutor’s office also requested an arrest warrant for Jonathan Flores, against whom an Interpol red alert and extradition request will be issued.
The attorney general warned about the possibility of these crimes being repeated in other State agencies; “I make the alert because these crimes mutate, […] technology is used to develop serious criminal actions against the national patrimony,” he warned.
