Jailed Chavez foe charged, calls Venezuela explosives case a farce, does not expect fair trial

Jailed Chavez opponent charged, calls case a farce

CARACAS, Venezuela — The leader of a conservative group opposed to President Hugo Chavez has been charged with hiding explosives in his home — allegations he called a farce in comments sent from his jail cell.

Prosecutors announced conspiracy and arms trafficking charges against Alejandro Pena Esclusa on Friday, more than six weeks after he was arrested on July 12.

The attorney general’s office said in a statement that agents who raided his apartment found about 100 detonators and 2 pounds (900 grams) of C-4 explosives.

Officials have linked Pena’s arrest to the capture of a Salvadoran man, Francisco Chavez Abarca, who is accused of helping to organize bombings in Cuba as part of a campaign against the island’s communist government.

Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami has said Chavez Abarca acknowledged plotting violence to disrupt upcoming Venezuelan elections and said he had had contacted some “fascist sectors of the Venezuelan opposition.” But after a few days of interrogation, the government sent him to face charges in Cuba rather than charging him in Venezuela.

Pena, who is jailed in the intelligence agency headquarters in Caracas, said Saturday night in a written response to questions from The Associated Press that “the accusations against me are a farce.

“The authorities know that very well, because it was the government that orchestrated the case and ordered evidence ‘planted’ in my home,” Pena wrote. He also said police who raided his home stole money, electronic items and other belongings.

Pena’s wife, Indira, has accused authorities of planting the explosives in a drawer of their 8-year-old daughter’s desk.

Pena heads the small Fuerza Solidaria organization, which opposes Chavez and other leftist Latin American governments while advocating free-market economics. Pena also was a strong supporter of the interim Honduran government installed after Chavez ally President Manuel Zelaya was ousted by the military last year.

Pena ran for president in 1998, finishing ninth with 0.04 percent of the vote after throwing his support to another candidate who lost to Chavez.

He was detained in 2002 on suspicion of links to military officers who took part in a failed coup attempt against Chavez, but was later released.

“I’m definitely a political prisoner; all of Venezuela recognizes that,” Pena said. “I’ve never believed in violence as a form of struggle; I condemn terrorism.”

If convicted, Pena could be sentenced to as many as 10 years in prison, the attorney general’s office said.

“There is no possibility of a judge absolving me, even if I present the most solid evidence,” Pena said. “Venezuela’s justice system has been totally hijacked by the executive branch.”

Critics say Chavez has stacked the courts with friendly judges and has used criminal prosecutions to intimidate others. Chavez insists the courts are independent.

“Chavez is trying to neutralize my work. But he won’t achieve it,” Pena said.

“I could have left the country to avoid prison, but I didn’t want to because I think I’m more useful to my homeland in jail than in exile. For that reason, I’m psychologically prepared to endure the confinement with firmness,” Pena wrote. “I feel proud and even happy.”