Fat Leonard may escape due to US diplomatic snafu, author says

KUALA LUMPUR (November 1): Malaysian national Leonard Francis, better known as Fat Leonard, who was recently arrested in Venezuela after fleeing from house arrest under loose house arrest in San Diego, may yet flee to due to poor law enforcement and diplomatic mess for the United States, according to one author.

In a tweet Monday, October 31, Jodi Vittori, an expert on the links between corruption, conflict and conflict financing, illicit financial flows and national security, said: “Thanks to the Navy and poor law enforcement, the United States is now in a diplomatic mess with Venezuela: recovering FatLeonard means tacitly recognizing Maduro’s government at the expense of Juan Guaido. Otherwise, Fat Leonard will be released in mid-December from Ven’s custody and free to flee again.”

Vittori is a non-resident fellow of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and US Research and Policy Officer for Transparency International’s Defense and Security Program.

The US State Department has stated on its website that the United States recognizes interim President Juan Guaido and considers the democratically elected 2015 Venezuelan National Assembly, which he currently leads, as the only legitimate federal institution, in accordance to the Venezuelan Constitution.

He went on to say that Venezuela’s former presidents, the late Hugo Chavez (1999-2013) and Nicolas Maduro (2013-2019), defined themselves in large part by their opposition to the United States, regularly criticizing and sowing disinformation about the American government, its policies and its relations with Latin America.

Maduro, who was unsuccessful in free and fair elections, clings to power through subversion of democratic institutions, manipulation of elections and force.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Maduro in 2017, and in 2020 the Justice Department charged him with offenses related to narcoterrorism and drug trafficking.

The US State Department’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau (INL) has posted a US$15 million reward for any information leading to him being brought to justice.

Maduro’s illegitimate regime has facilitated widespread corruption and stoked hyperinflation, leading to negative economic growth, a humanitarian crisis, and widespread difficulties in accessing basic goods and services, including shortages of food, energy, and water. water, in a country with the largest proven oil reserves in the world.