Venezuela jails 6 US Citgo executives for 8 to 13 years over corruption, families allege 'judicial terrorism'
Six American oil executives who have been held for three years in Venezuela were on Thursday, November 26, found guilty of corruption charges by a judge and sent to prison with immediate effect. The incident left the families of the executives distraught this Thanksgiving as they were hoping for their quick release and a reunion with their dear ones. Five of them were sentenced to prison terms of more than eight years while one of them was handed a 13-year sentence.
Associated Press reported on Friday, November 27, that Alirio Rafael Zambrano, brother to two of the convicted, said they were “undeniably innocent” and victims of “judicial terrorism”. According to him, there was no evidence in the case to back the conviction.
Families devastated
“We, the family, are heartbroken to be separated even further from our loved ones,” Zambrano was quoted by AP as saying in a phone message from New Jersey. “We pray that the leaders of our nation step forward and continue to fight unceasingly for their freedom and human rights.”
The six officials (Citgo 6) are employees of Houston-based Citgo refining firm, which is owned by PDVSA (Petroleos de Venezuela SA), the oil-rich nation’s state oil company. These men were lured to Venezuela three years ago for a business conference and arrested on charges of corruption, the report added. Their arrests saw a purge by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s administration of PDVSA and it came at a time when relations between Washington and Caracas have plummeted and the Latin American nation is seeing economic and social crises.
Jose Pereira Ruimwyk, the company’s former president and a Venezuelan national with US residency, was given a term of 13 years and seven months on charges of embezzlement and conspiracy, according to the court. He was also slapped with a fine of $2 million. Former vice presidents Jose Luis Zambrano, Alirio Jose Zambrano, Jorge Toledo, Gustavo Cardenas and Tomeu Vadell were among the others who were sent to jail.
In 2017, Maduro surprised people by naming Manuel Quevedo, a National Guard general with little experience in the oil industry, to take charge of PDVSA. Earlier this year, however, the president named new executives at the oil firm in the wake of declaring an “energy emergency” and setting up a body to revamp the state oil firm. Coming back to the arrests, Attorney Maria Alejandro Poleo, who helped represent three of the convicted men, said the case lacked evidence and said the defense will make an appeal against the decision. Defense attorney Jesus Loreto said those who got lesser terms could be released on a parole in a couple of years’ time.
The office of Venezuela's chief prosecutor said on the other hand that the investigators found 'serious evidence' that validated financial crimes potentially damaging to the state-run firm.
AP also reported that Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal of Justice announced the verdicts and prison sentences but did not comment on the trial’s outcome. The trial began four months ago and the closing arguments came on Thursday and the judge immediately gave the verdict. The proceedings took place a day in a week in a court in downtown Caracas. Media and rights groups were denied access to the hearings.
US concerned over arrests
Washington has repeatedly asked Caracas to release the Citgo 6 members and Bill Richardson, a heavyweight Democratic leader who has been part of international negotiations for a number of high-profile US detainees, traveled to Venezuela earlier this year and met Maduro. He succeeded in getting two of them released and put under house arrest but the others remained at the national intelligence agency’s headquarters in the Venezuelan capital.
Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens said in June that all the six men were in “mortal danger” and many of them even exhibited symptoms of Covid-19.
The US is among those countries that do not recognize Maduro as the president of Venezuela. It has been trying to oust him since early last year and has even recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido, who took control of Citgo, Venezuela’s most profitable overseas asset, in 2019, as the country’s legitimate president. The Venezuelan operations of PDVSA are, on the other hand, under American sanctions.