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Caracas (AFP) – More than 40 people have been arrested in recent weeks in Venezuela in an anti-corruption “crusade” within the state oil company PDVSA and other public companies that has affected senior officials and businessmen, the Prosecutor’s Office reported on Saturday.
“To date, the Public Ministry has managed -together with the auxiliary bodies- the arrest of 42 subjects linked to the various corruption schemes that sought to embezzle (…) the national economy,” said the attorney general, Tarek William Saab, on his Twitter account.
The arrests began on Friday, March 17, after a statement issued by the National Anti-Corruption Police, a body that acts under strict secrecy, which asked the Public Ministry to prosecute officials who “could be involved in serious acts of corruption and embezzlement “.
The prosecutor confirmed this Sunday that Pedro Maldonado, president of the state-owned Corporación Venezolana de Guayana (CVG), is among the new detainees, as well as Néstor Astudillo, president of the Siderúrgica del Orinoco (Sidor).
Also arrested were Edgar Sánchez, CVG Vice President of Planning; Felipe Contreras, Vice President of Iron and Steel; Lino Mora, executive vice president; Tulio Medina, Vice President of Finance; and Carlos Moreno, Traffic and Customs manager of the corporation in charge of exploiting iron, bauxite, gold, diamonds and other “strategic” materials.
Judicial sources told the AFP news agency that Maldonado, who was previously director of the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV), was part of a corruption scheme led by former deputy Hugbel Roa, who for years was an important leader of the ruling Socialist Party. Kingdom of Venezuela (PSUV), now detained.
Among the crimes charged to the detainees are money laundering, criminal association and treason.
In the midst of the purge, Tareck El Aissami resigned on March 21, the until then powerful oil minister, sanctioned by the United States.
Although the amount of the embezzlement has not been revealed since the investigation is in the first phase, press reports place it at at least 3,000 million dollars. The pro-government deputy Hermann Escarrá spoke of up to 23,000 million, although he later denied this version.
The defendants face sentences of 25 to 30 years, prosecutor Tarek William Saab said. The maximum sentence in Venezuela is 30 years.
In addition, “the assets seized from the crime pass into the hands of the State,” added Saab, who did not rule out more arrests as the investigations progress.
