Journalistic Technique 101: The Mosquita Muerta Cold Call

 So how can we tell for sure that Arturo Cubillas Fontán is still working at the National Lands Institute's Security Department? Easy. Just pick up a phone, call INTI headquarters in Caracas and, all casual like, ask the receptionist to put you through to the office of "el Señor Cubillas Fontán, por favor:" it's the Security Department she'll put you through to. 

9 comments

How selective do you want to be?
 
   butbutbut

weak evidence

Calling offices in the Venezuelan government, you can not count on the receptionist having an up-to-date list of who works where. And even in my office, if you call and ask for someone who has quit, you get put through to the person's colleagues or superior. Now if you stayed on and either talked to him or heard his voice on a voice mail that's another issue.

   admin

Well sure but but...

but, but but but, you'll agree it's pretty good as *confirming* evidence for a story you've sourced elsewhere. 

   Roy

Just a question...

Has anyone in the Venezuelan Government even said that he no longer works for the Government?

It appears to me that the "official party line" is that he was exiled by Spain and given Venezuelan citizenship in a deal made with Spain before Chavez took office. So far, I don't think there is any dispute over this. The fact that he has a job in the Venezuelan Government, and that his wife does as well, is evidence of nepotism, nothing more.

The real link comes from the Raul Reyes' computer archives. However, so far, I haven't seen anything that completely breaches the plausible deniability of the Government of involvement with ETA. So far as I can see, all Chavez has to do to walk away clean from this is to throw Cubillas and some low level army officer under the bus.

Am I missing something here?

   admin

I think you're mostly right, Roy...

But still. The government knew who Cubillas was. They knew his past. His associations. The Defensoría even defended his pro-Basque nationalist activities in 2002. And they put him in charged of armed men, running an office that obligated him to travel to remote rural places all the time.
Plus, think about it. They CAN throw him under the bus...but they haven't. 

   Roy

Throwing Cubillas under the bus...

Given what is at stake, the logical thing for Chavez (or his surrogates) to do would be to eliminate Cubillas. Dead men tell no tales and he is of no further use here in Venezuela.

I would imagine he is now either buried in the deepest darkest jungle they could find, or he has gone to ground and is currently recovering from plastic surgery to completely change his appearance. With a nice new passport and identity, he can retire, or if truly loyal to the cause, return to Spain to continue the fight.

Anonymous 1
Anonymous 2
   admin

It's so enlightening...

...it's the piece linked to in my post in the first place!!! 

Anonymous 3
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