“Chile remains a serious country where institutions work, powers are balanced, and the public prosecutor’s office conducts investigations with accountability.” President Gabriel Boric publicly voiced his government’s discomfort with Venezuela through a note delivered to Ambassador Arévalo Méndez. The discord followed remarks by Venezuela’s attorney general, Tarek William Saab, who linked the Santiago homicide of a former opposition serviceman, Ronald Ojeda, to an effort to “cloud bilateral ties precisely as a significant rapprochement was taking place.” Saab said Ojeda’s death is political in nature, but not the intent claimed by “the Chilean media and what the Chilean prosecutor’s office has not denied or confirmed.” He described it as “a false-flag operation” with participants “in all stages of the event who could not be identified and who may belong to intelligence agencies of third countries.” A delegation from the country’s prosecution service, which has overseen matters since 2017, met in Chile with the Director of the International Cooperation and Extraditions Unit, who Saab stated “offered nothing of value.” Saab added that Venezuela remains the most interested party in clarifying the case.
In February, Ojeda was taken from his home in the Chilean capital, where he lived with his wife and child, in what authorities described as a raid conducted by suspected members of the Police Investigations Directorate. The kidnapping was recorded by security cameras. Days later, the former serviceman’s body, who had been in Chile as a political refugee, appeared inside a suitcase buried under concrete. He was 34 years old.
For months, Chilean officials had expressed concern about Venezuela’s stance on the murder. Manuel Monsalve, the undersecretary of the interior and public security, stated last week that investigative work had made “significant” progress, with one person detained, several suspects of Venezuelan nationality identified, and two Venezuelans who fled back to their country.
President Boric’s response
Against this backdrop, Saab’s remarks also criticized the investigators’ professionalism, which drew a sharp response from Boric. “The Venezuelan prosecutor’s comments show a lack of willingness to resolve a deeply complex case.” Boric added that Venezuela would use every available diplomatic mechanism to ensure the crime is not left unpunished and that justice is served in Chile.
Boric also offered a pointed, widely understood reference to Maduro and the gap between rhetoric and action. “I hear grand statements often, but what works is serious work and real bilateral cooperation.”
The Ojeda case has intensified tensions between Chile’s leftist government and the right-wing opposition, which frequently accuses the Palacio de La Moneda of undue leniency toward Miraflores. Senator Francisco Chahuán, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said Saab’s statements indicate Venezuela is not prepared to extradite those involved. The government, he argued, was naïve to rely on joint cooperation with Venezuela’s Public Ministry.