Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 22 november 2017
Venezuela arrests Citgo chief in anti-corruption dragnet

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) that the Houston-based
— Venezuelan authorities company operates inde-
detained the acting presi- pendently and meets the
dent of Citgo, the state- standards and regulations
owned oil company’s U.S. set by the United States.
subsidiary, and five other The company adds that it is
executives for their alleged closely monitoring the situ-
involvement in a corruption ation.
scheme, officials said Tues- The arrests come amid
day. an ongoing probe by U.S.
Jose Pereira and five Citgo prosecutors spanning multi-
vice presidents have been ple years into corruption at
detained on suspicion of state oil company PDVSA.
embezzlement stemming The U.S. Treasury Depart-
from a $4 billion agreement ment in 2015 accused a
to refinance company bank in Andorra of launder-
bonds, Venezuela’s chief ing some $2 billion stolen
prosecutor Tarek William from the state oil company.
Saab said. Some 10 individuals have
According to Saab, the pleaded guilty for their role
deal provided “unconscio- in the payment of bribes
nable and unfavorable” and kickbacks, and U.S.
terms for state oil giant PD- In this Aug. 23, 2017 file photo, Venezuela’s Chief Prosecutor Tarek William Saab speaks during a federal officials in October
VSA and offered Citgo itself news conference, in Caracas, Venezuela. Venezuelan authorities detained the acting president arrested four high-ranking
as a guarantee on repay- of Citgo, the state-owned oil company’s U.S. subsidiary, and five other executives for their alleged officials, including at least
ment without prior govern- involvement in a corruption scheme, Saab said Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2017. two aides to Venezuela’s
(AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
ment approval. Mediators ambassador to the United
of the contract were pur- al benefits.” address in the General Pen- agement and declining Nations.
portedly eligible for a 1.5 Venezuela’s Minister of itentiary of San Juan de los production. The Trump administration
percent payoff of the total. Communication Jorge Ro- Morros,” he said. Thus far Saab’s office has imposed sweeping finan-
Saab described the Citgo driguez accused the men The detentions are part of made nearly 60 arrests re- cial sanctions against Ven-
executives as facilitators for of acting as spies for North an ongoing investigation lated to corruption involv- ezuela in August, prohib-
U.S. international pressure American interests in ex- by Venezuelan authorities ing PDVSA. iting financial institutions
on Venezuela’s oil sector, change for a few dollars. into the country’s oil sec- Officials at Citgo distanced from providing new mon-
“putting at risk Citgo’s as- “They will wear yellow tor, which has struggled in themselves from the ar- ey to the government or
sets while obtaining person- jumpsuits and have a new recent years amid misman- rests, saying in a statement PDVSA.q

Argentina:

Flares seen are unlikely from submarine

By LUIS HENAO face. “It’s quite common that
Associated Press But it only has enough oxy- ships pass by that area and
BUENOS AIRES, Argen- gen to last seven days if also common that with the
tina (AP) — A U.S. aircraft submerged. waves and the rocking,
searching for a missing Ar- “In the worst-case scenario, they can lose a raft.”
gentine submarine with 44 in the critical phase, where An Argentine navy official
crew members aboard has it could not come to the said Monday that the sub-
spotted white flares, but surface by its own means marine reported a battery
they’re unlikely to be from or renew its air and oxygen, failure Wednesday and
the sub that has been lost we’d be in the sixth day of was returning to base when
for six days in the South At- oxygen,” Navy spokesman it went missing
lantic, the Argentine navy Enrique Balbi told reporters. Weather conditions that
said Tuesday. The San Juan carries red have hindered the search
The ARA San Juan subma- and green flares, Balbi said, are expected to improve
rine went missing Wednes- but authorities will still try on Tuesday, helping search
day as it journeyed from to identify the origin of the teams comb a wider area,
the extreme southern port white signals. Balbi said.
of Ushuaia to the coastal He also said that a life The U.S. Navy has also sent
city of Mar del Plata. raft that was found in the its Undersea Rescue Com-
More than a dozen interna- search area early Tuesday mand to Argentina to sup-
tional vessels and aircraft doesn’t belong to the sub- port the search for the sub-
have joined in a maritime marine and likely fell off an- marine.
search that has become a other vessel. The command includes
race against the clock. “We’re evaluating where a remotely operated ve-
The sub carries enough the flares came from. For hicle and vessels which
food, oxygen and fuel for now, based on the color, are capable of rescuing
the crew to survive about they don’t belong to the people from bottomed
90 days on the sea’s sur- submarine,” Balbi said. submarines.q