Chavez family allegations land National Assembly (AN) Deputy Wilmer Azuaje at center of attention

Caracas Daily Journal (Jeremy Morgan): Allegations by newly troublesome National Assembly (AN) Deputy Wilmer Azuaje about members of President Hugo Chavez' family in Barinas state are rapidly gathering attention from a lot of important people. Azuaje's fellow legislators hurredly shunted issues raised by his accusations of wrongdoing in property deals to the comptrollers' committee for investigation. The move was proposed by AN President Cilia Flores, a very big wheel indeed.

Azuaje is now said to have pointed the finger at not just one of the president's brothers, Argenis Chavez, but also at another, Narciso. Azuaje urged the Attorney General's Office to investigate 17 ranches he claims are owned by the Chavez family in Barinas.

The man who could end up walking on eggs is Deputy Julio Moreno, the head of the committee. He's been in the firing line before after taking delivery of documents from that other turbulent deputy, Luis Tascón, who raised questions about alleged corruption at the Infrastructure Ministry under José David Cabello, who's now head of the tax collection agency, Seniat.

Just what sort of reception Azuaje could expect from his colleagues wasn't clear, but the signs were ominous. Talk in the corridors was of throwing him out of the ruling parliamentary bloc.
Deputy Giovanny Peña – like Azuaje a minor legislator from the president's home state of Barinas who was elected as a government supporter – proposed a probe into Azuaje's finances. Azuaje said he was willing to submit his accounts for inspection.

Deputy Mario Isea, head of the ruling bloc, said Moreno's committee would look into Azuaje's supposed ambitions to run for governor of Barinas state, where the current incumbent is Hugo de los Reyes Chávez, the president's father. Former Interior Minister Pedro Carreno – he of the dismal attempt to ban smoking in bars – jumped into the act. He wasn't Azuaje's ventroloquist and Azuaje had to "assume his responsibilities". Carreño hails from Barinas and is seen as a potential runner for governor at November's regional elections.