The Daily Journal.- The Central Operational Unit (UCO) of Spain’s Civil Guard is investigating whether Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, supplied gold to illegally finance the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE).
According to a report by El Español, the alleged deliveries took place in 2020. They involved 24-karat gold coins bearing the likeness of Simón Bolívar at Madrid’s Barajas Airport, as well as one-kilogram gold bars in Caracas.
At the time, Rodríguez, then Venezuela’s vice president, landed at Barajas Airport in the early hours of January 20, 2020, despite an EU entry ban. According to the report, José Luis Ábalos went to the airport and met with her. Koldo García and businessman Víctor de Aldama also attended the meeting. Ábalos and Koldo allegedly received the gold coins that same night.
Spain’s Civil Guard UCO uncovered messages between Koldo García and his then-wife, Patricia Úriz, mentioning “the coins” alongside “txistorras,” an alleged code word for €500 banknotes.
Additionally, a July 22, 2020, message exchange shows Koldo requesting “20 txistorras,” which investigators believe represented €10,000.
Photo of gold bar: First photographic evidence of alleged gold payment
El Español exclusively published a photograph of a one-kilogram, 24-karat gold bar worth €50,000 in 2020. Simón Zerpa, who served as economy and finance minister under Nicolás Maduro, sent the image to Aldama following the “Delcygate” controversy.
According to the photograph, the gold bar bears the stamp of Metales Caroní, C.A., a company linked to Caroni Company CA Inc., which is registered in Florida.
Aldama’s testimony before the judge
Another piece of alleged evidence comes from Víctor de Aldama’s testimony before Judge Ismael Moreno. During his testimony, Aldama claimed that Ábalos and Koldo told him that part of the commissions they received went to the PSOE headquarters on Ferraz Street to cover party expenses.
The businessman also submitted a PDVSA envelope containing a document concerning an oil allocation worth $250 million. He attributed the transaction to Delcy Rodríguez and linked it to the party’s financial support.
With information from El Español.
