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ePaper created 2015-11-10, 17:27:36 | version 1.33.00
REDACTED Page 176 of 190 will describe a few examples of the many instances of persecution against businessmen and businesses’ employees in 2015. On January 31, Pedro Luis Angarita and Agustín Antonio Álvarez, President and Vice president of pharmacy chain Farmatodo respectively, were arrested. The arrests were made after the GoV had carried out more than 60 inspections in Farmatodo stores only in January.776 Five days after their arrest, they were accused by the prosecutors Carolina Morgado, Israel Paredes and Facberm Useche, under the charges of boycott and causing instability to the national economy, which are crimes categorized in the “Fair Prices Law”, for allegedly promoting long queues in their stores.777 They were released 44 days after, with the order to appear every 15 days before the court and with the prohibition to leave the country without the authorization of the court.778 Maduro himself confirmed that the detention of Angarita and Álvarez were made pursuant to the GoV’s overall policy. “I have some conspirators, owners of stores, imprisoned in SEBIN facilities (…). I asked the Prosecutors to accelerate the proceedings to get them in jail, for sabotaging the Venezuelan people. [T]his store chain is the spear point of a conspiracy [by the] coward and parasitic oligarchy.” 779 Maduro argued that Farmatodo opened just a few cash registers in order to promote the queues in what he alleged was a “guerrilla tactic.”780 He then called on the majors, governors, and military and police officers to act with celerity should they find an irregularity of this kind.781 776 CONTRERAS, R. (2015) Conozca los directivos detenidos por caso Farmatodo. 2001.com.ve. [Online] 2 February. Available from: http://www.2001.com.ve/con-la-gente/89590/conozca-los-directivos- detenidos-por-caso-farmatodo-.html [Accessed 27 October, 2015]; PANORAMA.COM.VE. (2015) Cadena Farmatodo envía comunicado tras detención de sus trabajadores. Panorama.com.ve. [Online] Available from: http://www.panorama.com.ve/contenidos/2015/02/02/noticia_0061.html [Accessed 27 October, 2015] 777 EL NACIONAL. (2015) Privan de libertad a presidente y vicepresidente de Farmatodo. El Nacional. [Online] 4 February. Available from: http://www.el-nacional.com/politica/Privan-libertad-presidente- vicepresidente-Farmatodo_0_568743330.html [Accessed 27 October, 2015]; EL UNIVERSAL. (2015) Directivos de Farmatodo fueron privados de libertad. El Universal. [Online] 5 January. Available from: http://www.eluniversal.com/economia/150205/directivos-de-farmatodo-fueron-privados-de-libertad [Accessed 27 October, 2015] 778 PRESS REPORT. (2015) Liberaron a directivos de Farmatodo. Press Report. [Online] 21 March. http://www.press-report.co.ve/nombres-de-los-duenos-de-farmatodo-detenidos [Accessed 27 October, 2015] 779 MADURADAS. (2015) ¡INCREÍBLE! Maduro confirma detención de directiva de Farmatodo por colas: “Que vayan bien presos.” Maduradas. [Online] 1 February. Available from: http://www.maduradas.com/increible-maduro-confirma-detencion-de-directiva-de-farmatodo-por- colas-que-vayan-bien-presos/ [Accessed 27 October, 2015]; PANORAMA.COM.VE. (2015) Cadena Farmatodo envía comunicado tras detención de sus trabajadores 780 MADURADAS. (2015) ¡INCREÍBLE! Maduro confirma detención de directiva de Farmatodo por colas: “Que vayan bien presos.” 781 MADURADAS. (2015) ¡INCREÍBLE! Maduro confirma detención de directiva de Farmatodo por colas: “Que vayan bien presos.”