Charges of appropriation or distraction of public patrimony, money laundering and association, influence peddling, among other crimes were laid against 19 of the 21 persons fingered in the massive US$21.2 billion PDVSA scandal.
In a Tweet, Venezuela’s Attorney General Tarek William Saab attached an image of the high ranking officials decked out in orange jumpsuits as they filed into the court to answer for their alleged crimes.
Top PDVSA officials, officials from Venezuela’s National Superintendence of Crypto-assets (Sunacrip), judges and businessmen were included in the mix.
According to Saab, Venezuela’s Public Prosection Office put in a “Deprivation of Liberty” request for all suspects.
Treason charges will also be laid against several officers involved.
Head of Venezuela’s Public Prosecution Office called it “one of the most shocking plots” in the country in years.
The scandal occurred at the highest levels of PDVSA as the court heard the leading man was one Colonel Antonio Perez Suarez – PDVSA’s Vice President of Commerce and Supplies. The National Superintendent of Sunacrip, Joselit de La Trinidad Ramirez Camacho also another.
The case surrounds the missing US$21.2 billion in payments to PDVSA for oil shipments made to “little known middle men” after the country was hit with US sanctions.
This led to big price discounts and problems with payments affecting its cash flow.
Click here to see a video of the officials filing into court: PDVSA scandal
