The father of Andrés Martínez Adasme, one of the Spaniards detained in Venezuela for "conspiracy" and "linked to the National Intelligence Center (CNI)", as announced by Diosdado Cabello, the new Minister of Interior and Peace of the Maduro government, denies that his son belongs to the CNI and explains that he was missing after traveling on vacation to Venezuela.
This was stated in a phone conversation with EL MUNDO from Bilbao, where he resides and where the other detainee, José María Basoa, also comes from. "My son does not work for the CNI, of course not," he asserted.
Both families had reported their disappearance to the Ertzaintza last Monday, and the Basque police found out that they had been detained in that country.
"We are waiting for information through consular and embassy channels," explained Andrés Martínez's father, "we still do not know under what accusation or reason they have been detained."
Image released by the families of the detainees on the 9th day of their disappearance.
His son and José María Basoa were, he claims, "on vacation in Venezuela," where both of them went missing earlier this month. "He was missing on a trip to Venezuela and now he is in Caracas, that's all I know," he said.
"I informed the company where he works of his absence," he added without specifying what his son does. "I do not want to give more details," he said. The other Spanish detainee, José María Basoa, is, according to his LinkedIn profile, a senior technician in the installation, repair, and maintenance of gas, heating, plumbing, and climate systems. He has worked as a plumber, air conditioning installer, heating technician, and gas systems installer in several companies and is currently linked to a Polish company dedicated to "transport, logistics, supply chain, and storage."
"I deny that he belongs to the CNI," Andrés Martínez's father insisted that his son does not work for the Spanish intelligence services before asking to end the conversation to keep the line clear because he was waiting for "a call from the embassy."
The family, through José María Basoa's brother, had reported his disappearance on social media and made an appeal to find them. "We are looking for José María Basoa Valdovinos and Andrés Martínez Adasme, who were last seen in Inírida, Colombia, on Monday, September 2nd, heading to Puerto Ayacucho, Venezuela. Both were traveling without a guide, and we have not had any news since their last phone call that same day at 8:23 am," was posted on a Colombian Facebook account on September 9th.
The two young men, aged 35 and 32, according to the mentioned publication, left Madrid for Caracas on August 17th, where they rented a car that they were supposed to return on September 5th, but they did not.
After an incursion in Colombia, they were lost track of on September 2nd when they were planning to travel to the Venezuelan city of Puerto Ayacucho. "Since then, we have had no contact," reads the mentioned publication.
They also did not return to Spain on September 8th, as planned.