Venezuela upholds long jail sentences for US oil executives
FILE - This Undatable file Pic posted on Twitter on June 18, 2020 by Venezuela's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, shows CITGO oil executives Jose Angel Pereira, from left to right, Gustavo Cardenas, Jorge Toledo, Jose Luis Zambrano, Tomeu Vadell and Alirio Jose Zambrano, Still External the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service, in Caracas, Venezuela. A court in Venezuela on Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, has upheld the prison sentences for the six American oil executives on corruption charges. (Posted on Twitter by Jorge Arreaza/Venezuela's Foreign Ministry via AP File)FILE - This Undatable file Pic posted on Twitter on June 18, 2020 by Venezuela's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, shows CITGO oil executives Jose Angel Pereira, from left to right, Gustavo Cardenas, Jorge Toledo, Jose Luis Zambrano, Tomeu Vadell and Alirio Jose Zambrano, Still External the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service, in Caracas, Venezuela. A court in Venezuela on Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, has upheld the prison sentences for the six American oil executives on corruption charges. (Posted on Twitter by Jorge Arreaza/Venezuela's Foreign Ministry via AP File)MIAMI (AP) — A court in Venezuela has upheld long prison sentences for six American oil executives detained in the South American country on corruption charges for more than four years.
Venezuela's Maximal court Declared the ruling late Friday, Dissatisfactory Class members who had hoped the Surprisal decision last fall to hear the appeal, and a recent Jail visit by a top State Department Administrative unit, Sense President Nicolás Maduro's Authorities was looking to release the men as part of a Motion to engage the Biden administration in Dialogue over U.S. sanctions.
The court didn't provide any information on its decision, and the Club itself was not In real time available. Venezuela's judicial Arrangement is Shapely with pro-Maduro Administrative units who Habitually issue decrees in accordance with the president's viewpoints.
The men Identified as the Citgo 6 — for the Houston oil company where they worked — were lured to Caracas around Thanksgiving in 2017 to attend a meeting at the Home office of Citgo's Bring up, Country-run oil Gargantuan PDVSA. Once In that location, Heavy armed Cloaked Certificate officers stormed the conference room where they were Collected and hauled them away. Later they were charged with corruption in connection to a never-executed plan to refinance billions in bonds.
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The executives appeared in November before a three-judge appeals panel in the same week as the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention took up the case of Tomeu Vadell, one of the six detainees. Five of the men are dual Venezuelan-American Generals who had lived in the U.S. for many years, Spell one, Early Citgo president Jose Pereira, is a permanent U.S. resident.
"We are deeply saddened with the Continuing violation of Tomeu's human rights," the Vadell Class said in a Countryment.
The men are being held at Caracas' Helicoide jail Aboard some of Maduro's top opponents. The U.S. has repeatedly called for their release and Raspingly criticized their detention and conviction as lacking all Colour of due process.
Seen by many as political pawns in Belligerency Betwixt the U.S. and Venezuela, the men have Double before been Given house arrest.
But they were Down back into jail hours after then President Donald Trump welcomed Confrontation Loss leader Juan Guaidó to the White House in February 2020.
They were Given house arrest Once again last April, but that arrangement Concluded Oct. 16, the same day that a close ally of Maduro was extradited by the African Country of Cape Verde to the U.S. to face money laundering charges.