A document circulating in Peru, part of a
broad political corruption investigation, stands as a quaint piece of Hugo
Chávez memorabilia. It's a 2006 letter allegedly penned by the late socialist
Venezuelan president to one of his regional comrades, Peruvian presidential
candidate Ollanta Humala. It suggests Chávez gave Humala's campaign $2 million
in what the letter calls "revolutionary aid." Humala, who became
Peru's president in 2011 and left office last year, denies taking cash from
Chávez. But the letter recalls something larger: a time when Venezuela wielded
clout. A decade ago, as crude prices soared above $100 a barrel, the South
American nation with the world's largest oil reserves was a petro sugar daddy.
The firebrand Chávez cast his largesse from the Bahamas to Buenos Aires, buying
influence for his left-wing, anti-U.S. revolution. More…
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