José Brito (politician)
José Dionisio Brito Rodríguez (born 15 January 1973) is a Venezuelan administrator and politician who serves as a deputy to the National Assembly and former member of Justice First party.
Biography[edit]
Brito studied Business Administration at the Simón Rodríguez National Experimental University (UNESR).[1]
He was a member of the Movement for Socialism (MAS) party, and then joined the Podemos party.[2]
He was elected councillor for the Simón Rodríguez Municipality in the 2005 municipal elections, a position he held until 2008.[1][3] In the elections of 2013, he ran for mayor of the Simón Rodríguez Municipality with the support of the Democratic Unity Roundtable, obtaining 34% and 25,618 votes, losing to the PSUV candidate, Jesús Figuera.[1][3][4]
Under the banner of the Justice First party, he ran in the 2015 Venezuelan parliamentary election as a deputy for the Anzoátegui State, a seat he won for the 2016–2021 period.[1]
Controversies[edit]
The Armando.Info portal pointed to Brito as one of those implicated in alleged acts of corruption to "cleanse the reputation" of Colombian businessmen linked to the government of Nicolás Maduro and the network of embezzlement of social assistance funds of the Local Committees for Supply and Production (CLAP).[5][6][7] In response to these reports, Brito said that 70 deputies demanded that Juan Guaidó the state of the resources received from the humanitarian aid.[8] Guaidó said he did not know of any letter signed by 70 deputies.[9] The same day, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) clarified that the interim government chaired by Guaido does not administer money from humanitarian aid.[10]
Days later on 2 December 2019, Brito said that "there is a rebellion in the Assembly" against the president of the parliament, Juan Guaidó and will abstain in the vote for a new legislative president on 5 January 2020.[11][12]
Sanctions[edit]
The United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned Brito, Luis Parra and others, "who, at the bidding of Maduro, attempted to block the democratic process in Venezuela," according to US Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin on 13 January 2020.[13] The sanctioned have their assets in the US frozen and are not allowed to do business with US financial markets nor with US citizens.[13]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d Author, María Antonieta Ascanio (2 December 2019). "¿Quién es el diputado José Brito acusado por presuntos hechos de corrupción?". VPI Tv (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 December 2019.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "2 mujeres y 13 hombres compiten en Anzoátegui por candidaturas de la MUD". Efecto Cocuyo (in Spanish). 15 April 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
- ^ a b "Dip. José Brito | Transparencia Venezuela". transparencia.org.ve. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- ^ "Divulgación Elecciones Municipales – 8 December 2013". www.cne.gob.ve. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- ^ Author, María Antonieta Ascanio / (2 December 2019). "¿Quién es el diputado José Brito acusado por presuntos hechos de corrupción?". VPI Tv (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 December 2019.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "¿Necesita lavar su reputación? Se alquilan diputados para tal fin". armando.info. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- ^ "Varios diputados favorecieron a empresarios vinculados con los Clap, según Armando.info". Efecto Cocuyo (in Spanish). 1 December 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- ^ "Brito: 70 diputados exigieron a Juan Guaidó estado de recursos recibidos". EL NACIONAL (in Spanish). 2 December 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- ^ "Diputados señalados en trabajo de Armando Info están presentes en la sesión de la AN". El Pitazo. 3 December 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- ^ "EE.UU. aclara que Gobierno interino de Guaidó no maneja dinero de ayuda humanitaria". El Pitazo. 3 December 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- ^ "Diputado Brito asegura que Guaidó enfrenta rebelión interna en la AN". Efecto Cocuyo. 2 December 2019. Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- ^ "Diputado José Brito: "Hay una rebelión en la Asamblea" – Runrun". runrun.es. Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- ^ a b "U.S. targets Maduro-picked top legislator, six others in fresh Venezuelan sanctions". Reuters. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.