Former Venezuelan oil minister Pedro Tellechea, who resigned just days before his arrest, has been taken into custody on charges of facilitating the illegal delivery of an automated control system to a US intelligence-run firm through the state-controlled oil company, PDVSA. This arrest comes amidst a series of scandals in Venezuela’s troubled energy sector, with more than 2,400 people arrested and at least 27 killed in protests against President Nicolas Maduro’s contested election victory. Tellechea is just the latest in a string of high-level officials implicated in corruption probes related to PDVSA, with former petroleum minister Tareck El Aissami resigning last year following the detention of several officials.
Attorney General Tarek William Saab has announced that more than 200 arrests have been made in connection with 27 corruption schemes at PDVSA since 2017, including former oil ministers Eulogio del Pino and Nelson Martinez. Martinez died in prison while del Pino has been targeted by Venezuelan authorities. Another ex-oil minister, Rafael Ramirez, is currently wanted by authorities and hiding in Italy. Venezuela’s oil production has drastically declined in recent years due to political tensions, sanctions, and mismanagement, leading to a situation where the US is allowing certain oil companies to operate in the country. Tellechea’s arrest underscores the ongoing turmoil in Venezuela’s once-thriving energy sector.
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