US Sanctions Hit Brother of Chavez, 7 Others in Venezuela By Carlos Camacho Latin American Herald Tribune August 9, 2017
CARACAS -- Adan Chavez, the former college-professor older brother of the late President Hugo Chavez responsible for turning the deceased leader to left-wing radical politics, has been sanctioned Wednesday by the U.S. Treasury Department together with seven other Venezuelan officials or former officials with the embattled administration of Nicolas Maduro.
Since 2014, 39 Venezuelans connected with the Maduro administration have been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury, including Maduro himself, his Vice President Tareck El Aissami, the head justice of the Supreme Court, Maikel Moreno, the head of the CNE electoral board Tibisay Lucena and other military and police officers, businessmen, sitting and former officials.
Adan is one of 500-plus delegates to the ongoing and polemical Constituent Assembly, a newfangled supra-constitutional body that the Venezuelan opposition says is part of a power grab by Maduro and which 40-plus countries have denounced as illegitimate. The elder Chavez also helped draft the current Constitution in 1999.
The other seven Venezuelans sanctioned by the US are : CNE electoral board rector Tania D’ Amelio, the second CNE director slapped with sanctions in a matter of days; Herman Escarra, a lawyer who was also involved in the drafting of the 1999 Venezuelan Constitution with Adan Chavez and is involved in the ongoing Constituent Assembly; Bladimir Lugo, a National Guard colonel known for physical violence against opposition politicians, including an assault against the President of the National Assembly; Francisco Ameliach, a former governor and Constituent delegate; Erika Farías, Constituent delegate; Carmen Meléndez, a Navy officer and member of the Constituent; and Darío Vivas, also a delegate to the Constituent.
THE FIRST CHAVEZ SANCTIONED
Adan Coromoto Chavez Frias, was born in Sabaneta, Barinas state in 1953 and prior to joining the Constituent Assembly was the Minister of Culture in Nicolas Maduro’s cabinet, appointed in January 2017.
The elder Chavez keeps an extremely low profile but held very high-profile posts during the early years of “chavismo”, including Minister of Education, governor of Barinas and Ambassador to Cuba, a very prestigious and delicate post given the ample and extensive cooperation between Caracas and Havana in terms of energy and military aid which began in 1999, after the late Chavez took over.
He was teaching Physics (his specialty) in Venezuela’s Universidad de Los Andes when Chavez attempted a coup d’ etat in 1992. The late Chavez said in several occasions that it was Adan who turned him on to left wing radical politics but Adan was never jailed in connection with the coup.
The elder Chavez was a founding member of the Partido de la Revolucion Venezolana, a left-wing political organization which advocated infiltrating the Venezuelan military, particularly the academies, with sleeper cadets, such as Adan’s brother Hugo.
Once in power, the Chavez’s founded Venezuela’s current ruling party PSUV.
The present Venezuelan Constitution, which Maduro is in the process of replacing with a new one to be written by the polemical Constituent Assembly, was drafted by Adan Chavez, Hermann Escarra and other delegates in the 1999 Constituent Assembly.
AMELIACH ORTA, Francisco Jose (Latin: AMELIACH ORTA, Francisco José), Carabobo, Venezuela; DOB 14 Jun 1963; POB Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela; citizen Venezuela; Gender Male; Cedula No. 7062172 (Venezuela); Constituent of Venezuela's Constituent Assembly for Valencia Municipality in Carabobo State; Member of Venezuela's Presidential Commission for the Constituent Assembly (individual) [VENEZUELA].
CHAVEZ FRIAS, Adan Coromoto (Latin: CHÁVEZ FRÍAS, Adán Coromoto), Barinas, Venezuela; DOB 11 Apr 1953; citizen Venezuela; Gender Male; Cedula No. 3915103 (Venezuela); Constituent of Venezuela's Constituent Assembly for Barinas Municipality in Barinas State; Secretary of Venezuela's Presidential Commission for the Constituent Assembly (individual) [VENEZUELA].
D'AMELIO CARDIET, Tania, Vargas, Venezuela; DOB 05 Dec 1971; Gender Female; Cedula No. 11691429 (Venezuela); Rector of Venezuela's National Electoral Council (individual) [VENEZUELA].
ESCARRA MALAVE, Hermann Eduardo, Miranda, Venezuela; DOB 08 Apr 1952; citizen Venezuela; Gender Male; Cedula No. 3820195 (Venezuela); Constituent of Venezuela's Constituent Assembly for Zamora Municipality in Miranda State; Member of Venezuela's Presidential Commission for the Constituent Assembly (individual) [VENEZUELA].
FARIAS PENA, Erika del Valle (Latin: FARÍAS PEÑA, Erika del Valle), Cojedes, Venezuela; DOB 31 Oct 1972; citizen Venezuela; Gender Female; Cedula No. 9493443 (Venezuela); Constituent of Venezuela's Constituent Assembly for Ezequiel Zamora Municipality in Cojedes State (individual) [VENEZUELA].
LUGO ARMAS, Bladimir Humberto (a.k.a. LUGO ARMAS, Vladimir Humberto), Caracas, Capital District, Venezuela; DOB 18 Nov 1968; Gender Male; Cedula No. 8760081 (Venezuela); Commander of the Special Unit to the Federal Legislative Palace of Venezuela's Bolivarian National Guard (individual) [VENEZUELA].
MELENDEZ RIVAS, Carmen Teresa (Latin: MELÉNDEZ RIVAS, Carmen Teresa), Lara, Venezuela; DOB 03 Nov 1961; POB Barinas, Venezuela; citizen Venezuela; Gender Female; Cedula No. 8146803 (Venezuela); Constituent of Venezuela's Constituent Assembly for Iribarren Municipality in Lara State (individual) [VENEZUELA].
VIVAS VELASCO, Ramon Dario, Vargas, Venezuela; DOB 12 Jun 1950; citizen Venezuela; Gender Male; Cedula No. 3569721 (Venezuela); Constituent of Venezuela's Constituent Assembly for Vargas Municipality in Vargas State (individual) [VENEZUELA].
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