Venezuelan banker halted in Miami, seeks asylum
CARACAS, Venezuela – US immigration officials have stopped a fugitive banker whose release from jail in Venezuela enraged President Hugo Chavez and led to controversial corruption charges against a judge.
Eligio Cedeno fled Venezuela when he was released pending trail on charges of violating Venezuela’s currency exchange controls, and his attorney said Monday the banker will seek asylum in the US from what he calls a politically motivated prosecution.
Chavez called Cedeno, the former president of the banks Canarias and Bolivar, to be sent back to face trial in Venezuela. Chavez has recommended that the judge who released Cedeno pending trial be severely punished with a 30-year prison term, sparking criticism by opponents of undue presidential influence in the judicial system.
Nicole Navas, a spokeswoman for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, would say only that Cedeno was in “custody pending immigration removal proceedings”. She said she was precluded from saying more under the Government’s privacy policy.
Cedeno’s lawyer, Victor Cerda, said his client “is looking at his options in the United States and is going to see what steps he takes against the false accusations” made against him in Venezuela.
Prior to his release, Cedeno was jailed for more than two years awaiting trial on charges of violating Venezuela’s currency exchange controls.
The charges stem from Cedeno helping a computer business obtain US$27 million at the official exchange rate through the state currency agency. The funds were supposedly intended to buy computer equipment, but prosecutors allege the goods never arrived.
Judge Maria Afiuni, who freed Cedeno pending his trial, has been jailed on charges of corruption and abuse of power for letting the banker go.
The Caracas bar association says Afiuni’s decision to free Cedeno while he awaited trial was in line with the law. But the Government says she improperly held a hearing even though prosecutors could not attend.
Chavez denies trying to control the courts and says the legal system remains autonomous.
