Venezuela puts US oilmen on house arrest in gesture to Biden fox61.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from fox61.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Venezuela gives CITGO 6 house arrest in gesture to Biden
KRIS file photo.
Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson plans to meet with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to urge the release of the CITGO 6, including Corpus Christi resident Alirio Zambrano.
By: Joshua Goodman, Associated Press
Posted at 7:45 PM, Apr 30, 2021
and last updated 2021-04-30 21:00:07-04
MIAMI - Six American oil executives jailed in Venezuela more than three years ago on corruption charges were granted house arrest on Friday in a gesture of goodwill toward the Biden administration as it reviews its policy toward the politically turbulent South American country.
The partial release of the six employees of Houston-based CITGO was confirmed to The Associated Press by lawyers and family members of the men.
CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela has released a group of former executives of U.S.-based refining company Citgo on house arrest, a source familiar with the situation said on Friday, three years after they were arrested on corruption charges.
The officials were detained in November 2017 after being called into a meeting at the Caracas office of state oil company PDVSA, which owns Citgo.
A Venezuelan court in November sentenced the six former executives, who were accused of crimes such as embezzlement, money laundering and conspiracy, to prison terms ranging from eight to 13 years.
Venezuela s information ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Article content
CARACAS Venezuela has released from jail six former executives of U.S.-based refining company Citgo and put them on house arrest, a source familiar with the situation said on Friday, more than three years after they were arrested on corruption charges.
The officials were detained in November 2017 after being called into a meeting at the Caracas office of state oil company PDVSA, which owns Citgo.
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
Try refreshing your browser, or Venezuela releases former Citgo executives to house arrest -source Back to video
The detention of the former executives, who include five naturalized U.S. citizens and one permanent resident, has been a major sticking point in tense relations between Caracas and Washington, which has repeatedly called for the men’s release and called their detention unlawful.