A judge in Venezuela issued a guilty verdict on six CITGO executives who were arrested in 2017 due to corruption charges. Five of the executives were sentenced with 8 to 10 years imprisonment, while one for 13 years. The ruling was made on the evening of Thanksgiving Day, ending the 3-year case which started in 2017 when the U.S oil executives received a call from the head of Venezuela owned PDVSA, asking them to travel to Caracas for some last-minute budget meeting. When the men arrived, masked security agents immediately arrested them for embezzlement charges. The family of the six executives are still hoping for a favorable resolution despite the verdict.
ABC News: They had been lured to Venezuela three years ago for a business meeting and were arrested on corruption charges.
ABC News disclosed that the six American oil executives, who were held for three years in Venezuela, were found guilty of corruption charges by a judge Thursday and immediately sentenced to prison.
The disheartening verdict was announced on the evening of Thanksgiving, crashing the hopes of their families in the U.S, who are hoping for their quick release.
The Citgo executives had been lured to Venezuela three years ago for a business meeting and were arrested on corruption charges.
Their arrest launched a purge by President Nicolás Maduro’s government of PDVSA and at a time when relations between Caracas and Washington were crumbling as Venezuela plummeted into economic and social crisis.
