Cronies from Venezuela's socialist regime flew helicopters to sacred mountain birthday party

It is no secret that the Venezuelan economy is broken and that soaring inflation coupled with extreme insecurity has forced upwards of 6 million people to flee the Maduro regime since 2014.

But while more than 75 percent of Venezuelans now live in extreme poverty, there is a group of businessmen and women who have gained financially from the socialist takeover of the oil-rich South American nation: members of the Bolibourgeoisie – government cronies who have benefitted from bribery and corruption to become rich under the guise of Venezuela’s 21st Century Socialism.

According to Juan Carlos Zapata, the journalist who first coined the term, these individuals are members of “the oligarchy that has developed under the protection of the Chávez government.”

So while millions of Venezuelans struggled to feed their families, others like Rafael Oliveros continue to live a life of luxury – often sparking anger for their tone-deaf social media presence.

Oliveros, who was appointed by Maduro as a representative of the tourism sector in Venezuela’s National Council of Productive Economy, came under fire earlier this month for ferrying tuxedo-wearing guests in helicopters to a pristine flat-topped mountain known as Kusari to celebrate his birthday party, allegedly causing ecological damage in the process.

The Kusari mountain in the Canaima National Park in Venezuela’s Amazon region is considered a sacred space by Venezuelan indigenous groups such as the Pemon.

“This was a violation of Mother Earth because these are sacred, untouchable mountains that we’ve traditionally watched over, conserved and respected, just like our ancestors,” Nazario Rosi, a Pemon elder, told Reuters. Rosi explained that Pemon culture forbids people to climb to the Kusari summit where the party took place. He also said that the area was damaged after being raked before the festivities.

The Venezuelan environmental protection group SOS Orinoco also released a statement condemning the event, noting approximately 20 people arrived in nine helicopters for an overnight stay at the summit of Kusari – “a clearly prohibited activity.”

“An event of this nature, which is also private and has no public significance, is not only a violation of the rule of law, but also an affront and a slap in the face to the dignity and honor of the entire Venezuelan people,” said SOS Orinco. “Especially at such a tragic moment that the country is going through in the midst of a complex humanitarian crisis recognized by all international organizations.”

El Ministerio Público comisionó a la Fiscalía 87 Nac en Defensa #Ambiental: para #investigar los daños causados al parque nacional Canaima (Tepuy KUSARI) como consecuencia de una “fiesta” organizada en dicho lugar por una empresa y un grupo de personas pic.twitter.com/OylLM33ZXT

— Tarek William Saab (@TarekWiliamSaab) February 10, 2022

Ultimately, Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab announced Thursday that the government will investigate the damage caused to Kusari as “a result of a ‘party’ organized in that place by a company and a group of people.”