Venezuelan prosecutors bring charges against head of anti-Chavez TV channel

Prosecutors charge head of anti-Chavez TV channel

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan prosecutors filed charges against the head of an opposition-aligned TV news channel on Friday, accusing him of usury and conspiracy to commit a crime after authorities seized 24 new vehicles on his property.

Guillermo Zuloaga, president and owner of Globovision, called the charges “harassment” as he left a prosecutors’ office, insisting he has done nothing illegal.

The government is pursuing a spate of investigations against Globovision that could lead to its closure. The station is strongly critical of President Hugo Chavez’s government, and Zuloaga says the charges are meant to intimidate him and the channel.

A court earlier this week barred the businessman and his son from leaving the country.

The two were already charged with usury last month in the same case. Prosecutors said in a statement Friday that they added a “continuity” degree to the charge to consider multiple violations of the same law, and added a charge of committing a crime in concert with others.

A police raid uncovered 24 Toyotas outside a Caracas home owned by Zuloaga in May, prompting an investigation into two car dealerships he jointly owns. Authorities have said it was “irregular” for Zuloaga to keep the vehicles there and allege that he intended to charge excessive markups on the vehicles.

Zuloaga said he stored the vehicles on his property for safekeeping because one of his dealerships had been robbed.

“There’s nothing illegal here. There’s nothing to hide here,” said the 67-year-old businessman.