Excerpts of column "Runrunes" (Rumors) of Thursday, August 02

High

CHECK-UP. President Hugo Chávez underwent testing on Monday (July 30) at the Hospital of the University of Brasilia. There, a PET scan and additional testing were conducted. The results, delivered after the meeting of "Venezuela's admission to Mercosur," accentuated disagreements among the patient's doctors. Cubans, Brazilians and Venezuelans do not come to terms as to their recommendations. Chávez was accompanied by former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva, the one who managed the testing with his fiduciary doctors and moved the Mercosur meeting from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia to that effect. The report of the exam conducted for the first time outside CIMEQ in Havana, produced the following data: the neck of the left femur continues broken because of the overexposure to the radiation applied in Cuba and, to a lesser extent, in Caracas. The tumor housed in the pelvis, as well as in other organs, remains unchanged. Cancer cells in the blood duct have not stopped.  Doctors attribute it to the excess of steroids used to "look fine." All of them recommend prompt discontinuance. However, given the patient's desire to engage in electioneering as he were "healed," they have conceded, at least, reduced dosing.  This is the case of morphine and other painkillers. All doctors agree though to suggest rest as possible. The dose of sertraline (under the following trademarks: Zoloft, Sertex, Altruline or Besitra) will be titrated from 100 mg to 150 mg QD. (According to Wikipedia, this drug is primarily used to treat major depression associated or not with anxiety, as well as post-traumatic  stress, obsessive compulsive, panic, schizoid-personality and social anxiety disorders). The remainder that has been used for 14 months will remain unchanged.

Intermediate

MORE ABOUT ECONOINVEST.  The world upside down. In one of the hearings of the unfair, unconstitutional political trial against the executive directors of brokerage firm Econoinvest, at the Fifth Trial Court presided over by Judge Rodolfo Romero, it occurred to public prosecutor Daniel Guédez the brainwave of producing as alleged evidence a report drafted by ex-supervisors Nahunimar Castillo, Orangel Godoy and Carlos Araujo. Dismissed as directly instructed by Minister of Planning Jorge Giordani after holding their incumbencies for one and a half year, they  would fail in their duties to employees, customers and shareholders. Our government source in court matters wonders how comes that the Attorney General Office gets together with such persons as complaints have been lodged both there and with the Comptroller General Office. Further, public prosecutor Guédez has ignored in his pleadings the reports of supervisor Moreira. The substitute of the fired ones proved that Econoinvest had enough equity  and paid in full all its liabilities to account holders and customers.  Should Judge Romero issue a decision based on Guédez's pleadings, a historical precedent would be set. All Venezuelans involved in buy or sale of securities could face charges and be liable to six-year imprisonment. A public prosecutor who uses in a lawsuit the evidence of people under criminal investigation at the very Attorney General Office just makes us think that we are living in a world upside down.

www.runrun.es
@nelsonbocaranda