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Ex-mayor Accused of Embezzlement in Venezuela
By Fabiola Sanchez
Associated Press
May 7, 2009

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Venezuelan prosecutors filed embezzlement and other charges Wednesday against a former Caracas mayor who supports the government of President Hugo Chavez.

The allegations come as opponents accuse the government of targeting corruption probes against them, including a prominent opposition leader who has taken asylum in Peru and a former defense minister jailed on accusations that funds went missing on his watch.

Former Mayor Juan Barreto left office last year when his term ended and an opposition leader beat out another pro-Chavez candidate. In a statement, prosecutors accused him of embezzlement, collusion with a contractor and misappropriation of government funds by skirting the bidding process.

Barreto, who was mayor from 2004 to 2008, denied the allegations and vowed to clear his name in court as long as "they don't politicize it."

"Generic misappropriation - that doesn't make me corrupt," said Barreto.

Barreto was previously a congressman for Chavez's party from 2000 to 2003. If convicted, he could face six months to 10 years in prison for each of the three charges.

Prosecutors said they opened the investigation in late 2007 while Barreto was still mayor, due to suspected irregularities in an ill-fated aerial surveillance system that was to have included blimps for anti-crime monitoring. Two former officials at the mayor's office and a businessman were also charged in the case.

The accusations follow other high-profile cases against Chavez opponents including opposition leader Manuel Rosales and jailed former Defense Minister Raul Baduel, who faces an accusation that funds went missing during his tenure. Both say they are innocent and call the charges politically motivated.

Rosales, the mayor of Venezuela's second-largest city, Maracaibo, was charged with illegal enrichment by prosecutors but fled to Peru, where he obtained political asylum last month.

There are also pending cases against two former governors who were once Chavez allies: Eduardo Manuitt and Carlos Gimenez.

Manuitt, the former governor of central Guarico state, was charged with corruption and went into hiding last month. He previously broke with Chavez.

Gimenez, the former governor of Yaracuy state, was forced to step down last year and is being prosecuted on suspicion of irregularities in a state-run discount food program.

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