Giovanny Vasquez has been charged with alleged forging of documents relating to the investigation into the assassination of state prosecutor, Danilo Anderson in November 2004. 50th national state prosecutor , Liseth Rodriguez and assistant, Veronica Berroteran have charged their colleague with false testimony and being a necessary accomplice in falsifying documents. Last week, Judge Gumer Quintana, who was in charge of the 19th control court in Caracas, was charged for her part in the forgery. She presided over the hearing of Giovanny Vasquez in August 2005. The opposition is beefing up its campaign to have a political ban on some candidates embarking on electoral campaigns lifted. National Elections Council (CNE) director, German Yepez has called on the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) to issue a ruling on the ban. Yepez argues that it should extend the period of postulations for the elections on November 23 to allow banned candidates to pursue legal measures to have the band dropped. The majority of charges revolve around anti-government activity in 2002 when a coup was unsuccessfully launched against President Chavez. Leopoldo Lopez, who is running for the Metro Mayor's Office in Caracas, says he will continue to exhaust all instances to remove the ban and warns that street protests will continue. The opposition student movement has already staged a public protest. Meanwhile, Comptroller General Clodosbaldo Russian has challenged some 400 people subject to the ban to show that they are clean.
Venezuela has secured an important victory at the International Labor Organisation (ILO) when the organisation took Venezuela off the list of 29 countries accused of violating trade union rights. Venezuelan Labor Minister, Robert Hernandez maintains that after seven years of campaigning on the part of some domestic sectors to blacken Venezuela, it has been shown that their arguments have been false. The Minister was referring to the case of employees belonging to the Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), who were dismissed after the disastrous oil stoppage in December 2002-February 2003. During the recent ILO general assembly in Geneva, Venezuela was elected to the presidency of the ILO presidential electoral committee and more importantly still, co-opted onto the administration council. The measures indicate that the stranglehold that the opposition Confederation of Venezuelan Workers (CTV) held over the ILO has ended.
During a short visit to Caracas, Paraguayan President, Fernando Lugo attended an ecumenical service in Caricuao, Caracas organized by the so-called Postconciliar Church. After the ceremony, which President Chavez also attended, the Paraguayan President, a Roman Catholic bishop, met up with several Venezuelan clergyman. According to the Venezuelan Vice Minister for Latin America and the Caribbean, Francisco Arias Cardenas, both countries will reaffirm energy, food and health projects once Fernando Lugo assumes office in August.
During an interview with Portuguese State Channel, President Chavez jokes that he has converted Fidel to becoming a Socialist Christian. The President recalls that the Castro did admit to him during talks that he was a Christian in the social sense. During the TV interview, Chavez has called for more understanding for Latin America from Europe and defends the barter exchange system between Latin American countries as a formula of sorting out the economic crisis.
Patrick J. O'Donoghue
patrick.vheadline@gmail.com
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