Exposing Corruption, Embracing Exile: Venezuela’s Investigative Journalists Under Threat

June 26, 2025 – Venezuela – 

FairPlanet published a revealing account of Venezuelan journalists from the investigative outlet Armando.Info who exposed one of the country’s most brazen corruption scandals, only to be labeled as criminals and forced into exile.

At the heart of the story is the PBS Frontline documentary A Dangerous Assignment: Uncovering Corruption in Maduro’s Venezuela, aired February 4, 2025. It delves into the so‑called “PDVSA Crypto” scandal involving former vice president and oil minister Tareck El Aissami and other PDVSA executives accused of using cryptocurrency and state contracts to enrich themselves. Armando.Info’s founders, prominent journalists Roberto Deniz and Ewald Scharfenberg, were accused—without evidence—of collaborating with the corruption they helped expose. They now face politically motivated charges ranging from terrorism to spreading hate, which critics say serve as tools of repression.

This marked escalation follows the group’s earlier investigations into the CLAP food distribution scandal. Beginning in 2016, Armando.Info reported that the Venezuelan government’s CLAP program—designed to feed impoverished citizens—was severely tainted by graft. Their analysis showed substandard, mislabeled food being sold through a network controlled by businessman Alex Saab, with contracts funneled to government insiders. Facing defamation lawsuits, stigma, and legal harassment under a 2017 “Law Against Hatred,” Deniz and colleagues were compelled to flee—Deniz in 201,8 fled to Colombia, and Scharfenberg settled in Miami.

Their departure reflects a broader campaign by Nicolás Maduro’s regime to silence dissent. According to Deniz, at least 15 journalists have been imprisoned under false charges since the July 2024 elections, with up to 23 detained and 221 opposition figures and five activists similarly targeted. The documentary has gained international traction via PBS and Amazon, bringing global attention to the endemic corruption and press suppression, but the journalists’ exile continues amid legal jeopardy and professional displacement.

Despite personal risk and separation from loved ones, Deniz remains determined. He views his investigative work—from exile—as a vital force for transparency. “All we can do is continue…with the hope that this will bring a bigger change one day,” he told FairPlanet.

Reference – 

https://www.fairplanet.org/story/maduro-venezuela-corruption-scandal-sends-journalists-to-exile/