Venezuelan authorities have arrested former oil and production minister Pedro Tellechea on suspicion of “serious crimes against the supreme interests of the country”, it was revealed on Monday.
According to an Instagram post publish In the early hours of October 20, Telechea and his “closest associates” were arrested by the prosecutor’s office.
The press release, signed by Attorney General Tarek William Saab, accuses Tellechea of handing over the command and control systems of state oil company PDVSA to a company controlled by U.S. intelligence.
Tellechea is the fourth former oil minister and former PDVSA president to be elected. arrested on corruption allegations. Since Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro became president in 2013, five of Venezuela’s eight oil ministers have been charged with multiple crimes.
Maduro moves Telechea from oil ministry to industry ministry as part of larger cabinet reorganize At the end of August, in the aftermath of the controversial presidential election.
In a social media post on October 18, Tellechea explain He made the “difficult decision” to resign due to “health issues that require my immediate attention.”
President Maduro subsequently appointed Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman who was released from U.S. custody as part of a prisoner exchange last year, as the country’s new industry and production minister.
Saab, known as Maduro’s “man”, is jailed in the United States on money laundering charges.
Maduro announced on social media explain He is “convinced” that Saab “will promote the development of Venezuela’s entire industrial system in the process of building a new economic model.”
In 2020, Saab was detained in Cape Verde and extradited to the United States in 2021 to face money laundering charges. United States Attorney defendant He transferred $350 million from Venezuela to foreign accounts.
Saab was released in a prisoner exchange between the United States and Venezuela in December following talks between the U.S. and Venezuelan governments. contributed to By Qatar.
Image source: Prensa Presidencial via X
In return, Venezuela release 10 Americans, six of whom were classified as wrongfully detained. The deal is part of a broader effort to broker a deal that would see Venezuela’s president hold free and fair elections in exchange for lifting U.S. sanctions.
The July 28 election was widely controversial. Although Maduro was re-elected certified The government has not yet released any detailed data to substantiate its claim of victory, following rulings by the country’s electoral authorities and the Supreme Court. The Venezuelan opposition and other regional leaders challenged the election results.
Previously, Saab was responsible for importing food for a government program called CLAP (Council of Local Supply and Production), a term during which Saab was accused of rampant corruption.
Investigation into Saab and CLAP corruption network led by Armando informationVenezuela’s digital investigative news outlet. In May this year, a documentary about Saab was released release Produced by PBS Frontline in partnership with Armando.Info, titled: A dangerous mission: Exposing corruption in Maduro’s Venezuela.
