LOOK: Ortega’s bodyguard chief dismissed in Nicaragua for “insubordination”
On Wednesday the 7th, the Nicaraguan Police issued a statement informing about the dismissal of Acuña, assuring that “flagrantly disobeyed superior orders, putting public safety at risk”.
As a result, the man in charge of the dictator’s security since 2007, would have received a “dishonorable discharge and will be tried for the crime of dereliction of duty, disobedience and insubordination”.
The statement did not provide further details about the offences that Acuña allegedly committed, but rumours point to a bad relationship with Vice President Murillo, who is said to be the one who holds the real power in the Central American country.
Acuña began his police career in the 1990s and from the start he was close to the Sandinista leader. Seven years after serving as head of the autocrat’s bodyguard, he was promoted to general commissioner, equivalent to a police general in other countries.
“The guy had been serving Ortega for about 34 years, handling his security. But in recent months a rather tense relationship had been building between him and Rosario Murillo. The reasons are not very clear but it seems that the straw that broke the camel’s back was basically an argument with the vice president. The situation has been so shocking for Acuña that he even ended up hospitalized.”, he comments to The Trade Aníbal Toruño, director of Darío Medios Internacional who has been persecuted by the dictatorship.
According to the businessman, Acuña’s downfall would be part of a larger plan that Murillo is carrying out and that would aim to ensure that the heads of the main state institutions are loyal to her.
Acuña’s departure is believed to be the result of a dispute with Vice President Rosario Murillo.
– Total ‘cleaning’ –
“Historical figures within the Sandinista Front have been falling, including magistrates, ministers, and even the dictator’s brother, Humberto Ortega. This is a response to Rosario Murillo’s desire to encompass and control absolutely everything. The two great barriers that separate her from total control were the Armed Forces and the National Police.”, explains Toruño.
Humberto Ortega was accused of “treason to the homeland” in May after he gave an interview in which he said that “the country is heading for disaster” due to the control exerted by the couple, which he described as a “dictatorial power”.
This would have aroused Murillo’s anger, leading her to order the arrest of the dictator’s brother, who was finally arrested.medical surveillance“at home, which really should be interpreted as a kind of house arrest.
The president of the Supreme Court of Justice, Alba Luz Ramos, was also expelled from her post a few weeks ago, as were various Sandinista leaders in the country. In most cases it was not even necessary for them to speak out against the dictatorship.
“Acuña was loyal to the commander (Ortega). But there is probably very little left of the commander. He is no longer the strong man, but rather he is controlled and manipulated. He is an elderly man who drags his feet when he walks, his physical constitution is affected and he consumes many medications. What we are seeing, in practice, is a transition.“, says Toruño.
According to the businessman, whose home has been raided three times by order of the regime, Murillo is not waiting “Daniel Ortega is dying, he is doing it on the flyThis is because, like Acuña, many Sandinista leaders would not agree with the vice president taking the reins of the country and would prefer that after Ortega, it be a military man who takes command.
Ortega’s advanced age and poor health have reportedly led him to hand over power to his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo.
/
– Fill the void –
“There is no doubt that Daniel Ortega’s departure will create a void”, says Toruño. “Murillo is trying to get ahead of that void and prevent any attempt to prevent her from assuming power. Only history will be able to tell whether it will work or not.”.
According to various Nicaraguan analysts, Murillo has taken the reins of power de facto in the country for some years now.It is said that Ortega starts his day at 11 in the morning, while Murillo works long hours, sleeps very little and even calls his ministers at one, two or three in the morning to dispatch. He has an enormous capacity for control.“, adds the businessman.
The succession plan would have been planned by the dictatorial couple for years, when Murillo was barely the country’s first lady, but she would have built her first steps with her appointment as vice president in 2017. Her role would have been decisive during the violent repression of the social protests of 2018 and it was she who showed herself to be the most active character of the regime during said social outbreak, going so far as to describe the protesters as “terrorists“and condemning anyone who opposed the regime.
“A person very close to them once confessed to me that within the couple, 85% of the power is held by Rosario Murillo and there is still a little left for Daniel Ortega.“, says Toruño.
Murillo is believed to have been responsible for the violent police repression that stifled social protests in 2018.
/
At one point, it was speculated that it would be the couple’s son, Laureano Ortega Murillo, who would assume power of the nation. However, Toruño sees such a scenario as remote, both due to the poor preparation of the son of both and the attempt to camouflage the transfer of power with constitutional arguments; that is, that the vice president would assume the position in the event of the head of state’s disappearance.
“They do not plan to leave the government for 30 or 40 years, perhaps. They assume that Laureano will eventually take over while his mother is alive and in office. Nicaraguans maintain the hope that there will be a fracture within the dictatorship, but the possibility has been diminishing as the succession takes place and Murillo becomes more powerful.“, laments Toruño.
