Panama expels Venezuelan coup participant

ACTING ON an Interpol red alert, the Panama has expelled a Venezuelan army pilot accused by the authorities, with at least 11 other soldiers, among them three generals, of involvement in a failed coup to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro in February.

The director of the National Immigration Service, Javier Carrillo, confirmed the expulsion of Eduardo Jose Figueroa Marchena who said he was wanted by the government of his country through Interpol.
“This man was expelled following an Interpol red alert for involvement in bombings in Venezuela, where he has been sent. We made the expulsion as with any red alert, it is an international obligation, “Carrillo told La Prensa.
The pilot’s wife Ana Luisa Perez, who has Spanish nationality, told reporters that she fears for the life of her husband. “The Varela government has to answer for that,” she said.
Perez said that Figueroa was arrested Wednesday afternoon on Via Espana. She said he had been in the country since May 2014 and has since performed procedures to obtain refugee status, which were twice rejected by the Panamanian authorities because on two occasions during the process he traveled to Spain.
According to his wife, they first lived in Boquete, Chiriqui, and in April moved to the capital, after the Panamanian authorities raided their home following the Interepol red alert.
Perezsaid that on Wednesday, June 24 he called to say that he had been arrested, and later to say he was in the Directorate of Judicial Investigation (DIJ). On Thursday Carrillo confirmed his expulsion,
Venezuela’s ambassador in Panama, Jorge Luis Centeno, reported in February that the soldier was in Panama and was wanted by the Venezuelan government for his role in the failed coup.
His wife denied the accusations, although she admitted that Figueroa had become a harsh critic of the Venezuelan government. After being linked in a first coup attempt allegedly forged last year, he decided to leave Venezuela. He first traveled to Colombia and later took up residence in Panama, where he met her.
Attorney Guillermo Cochez, called the decision of the Panamanian government a “mistake” because, in his opinion, no one can believe the red flags of the Venezuelan.
“The Panamanian authorities have mistakenly fallen into the trap set by the Venezuelan authorities. Venezuela is not known as a country maintaining respect for human rights, “he said.