Former Minister of Economy and Finance, Simón Zerpa, allegedly played a spy role to provide the United States with key information about Venezuela that would mean the entry of food and medicine into the country, according to intelligence reports. Zerpa informed the Americans of the entire itinerary of a flight made by businessman Alex Saab in June 2020, leading to Saab’s capture and extradition to the United States.
The government of President Nicolás Maduro has accused Zerpa, along with former PDVSA president Tarek El Aissami and businessman Samark López, of attempting to “implode the Venezuelan economy” for political purposes. This scheme involved the theft of foreign currency derived from oil sales, which was converted into digital currencies to impact the price of food products and other goods.
President Maduro detected the plan in late 2022 and initiated an Anti-Corruption Operation in March 2023, resulting in numerous arrests of officials and businessmen. The operation continued with the recent arrests of Zerpa, El Aissami, and López, who allegedly collaborated with the United States to create chaos in Venezuela.
The Anti-Corruption Operation has now extended to include former vice ministers Erick Pérez, Juan Santana, Xavier León Anchustegui, and Oswaldo Pérez Cueva. They are expected to face charges in the coming hours, according to judicial sources.