The Attorney General of the Republic, Tarek William Saab, reported Thursday on the detention of 16 people for breach of contracts with the Corporation of Agricultural Development, SA (Delagro), state company attached to the Ministry of People’s Power for Productive Agriculture and Lands.
He explained that the agricultural producers failed to deliver with 38 percent of their crops to DELAGRO, according to the stipulated in the contract for which they were granted financing, agricultural inputs, support, technical advice, machinery of the State and even in some cases lots of land.
From the headquarters of the Public Ministry, he explained: «The detained producers would have unscrupulously sold the harvest to private companies that resell the products at speculative prices, which affects the population».
Delagro invested 110 billion bolivars for the producers to deliver 10 million kilos of rice, however, they barely delivered 1,750,000 (17.5% of the total).
The financing was granted to agro-producers to harvest items that would be destined to the Local Supply and Production Committees (CLAP), as well as to other communal organizations of the Venezuelan people.
According to the investigation, the private companies involved would have used false mobilization guides to be able to move the merchandise.
«We are investigating private companies that thresh, pack and market products that use logos and emblems of foreign companies to simulate that they are imported food and increase costs», added the Prosecutor.
Likewise, Saab informed that 4 companies that would have bought the production destined for Delagro such as Corporación Industrial S.A., Invalta C.A., La Lucha C.A. and Fina Arroz C.A.
The detainees will be imputed for the crimes of boycott, destabilization, extraction contraband and association.
