US diplomat flees Venezuela rather than face charges of CIA espionage

Vheadline
Jan. 28, 2006

Prensa Latina: The naval attache of the US Embassy in Venezuela, John Correa, has left the country after his participation in an espionage case involving several Venezuelan low-ranking officers was revealed.

When he realized the espionage network had been discovered, Correa organized the escape of several of the officers involved to Miami, and then he fled when Venezuelan authorities called him up for a meeting, according to a report on Friday's VEA newspaper.

Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel confirmed some low-ranking officers were leaking top secret information to the Pentagon through Correa who, making use of his diplomat status, recruited the Venezuelan officers for US intelligence services.

Quoting reliable sources, VEA daily indicated the leaked information dealt with kinds of weapons and operating capacity of Venezuelan naval units, as well as classified information of the armed forces.

It was also disclosed that Correa was member of the Central Intelligence Agency with the highest rank in Venezuela, and was linked to the April 2002 coup ... he incited insubordination among Venezuelan officers in public incidents at the Altamira Plaza as well.