Pedro Carreño

Pedro Miguel Carreño Escobar is a Venezuelan politician and lawyer. Carreño has served multiple roles within the Bolivarian Government of Venezuela during the presidencies of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro.

Career

Military career Carreño began his military career in 1981 when he began his studies at the Venezuelan Academy of Military Sciences, where he graduated in 1985. In 1993, he was discharged from the Venezuelan Army by Lieutenant Colonel Enrique Medina Gómez following allegations of "aggravated fraud" in regards to his duties managing the funds of his military unit, preventing Carreño from legally being involved in public office in Venezuela in the future. The Bolivarian government maintains that Carreño was discharged from the army in February 1994 for "military rebellion".

As a member of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), he was a coordinator and Bolivarian propaganda director in several Venezuelan states. On 12 August 2018, former Foreign Minister of Venezuela, Roy Chaderton, stated that Venezuelans are "more civilized" than Colombians and that he was "part of the Pedro Carreño command" of the Bolivarian government, believing that Venezuelan troops must conquer Colombia and "reach the Pacific, because at last and finally we liberate the countries whose coasts are bathed by the Pacific Ocean ... I believe that we ... have military superiority".

The Lima Group expressed "deep concern" about Venezuela's militarized stance towards Colombia during the period and further criticized Venezuela's human rights record.

Sanctions Canada sanctioned 40 Venezuelan officials, including Carreňo, in September 2017. The sanctions were for behaviors that undermined democracy after at least 125 people will killed in the 2017 Venezuelan protests and "in response to the government of Venezuela's deepening descent into dictatorship"; Chrystia Freeland, Foreign Minister said, "Canada will not stand by silently as the government of Venezuela robs its people of their fundamental democratic rights".

Wealth Despite his socialist rhetoric, Carreño has been criticized about his wealth after publicly wearing various items from luxury brands like Balenciaga, Gucci and Louis Vuitton. Carreño also resides within a mansion overlooking Venezuela's capital city, Caracas.

While criticizing capitalism during a speech in December 2007, a reporter stated to Carreño that it was a hypocritical for him to be critical while wearing Gucci and Louis Vuitton, leaving Carreño for a loss of words. During the crisis in Bolivarian Venezuela when the majority of Venezuelans suffered from poverty and shortages, he was again criticized for wearing expensive Balenciaga shoes while exercising in his private gym.