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CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – Six U.S. oil executives detained for three years in Venezuela were found guilty of corruption by a judge on Thursday and immediately sentenced to jail, defense lawyers said, dashing hopes of release fast that would send them home. families in the United States.
Some parents braced for the disheartening outcome, which came on Thanksgiving night.
Alirio Rafael Zambrano, brother of two of the men, said they were “undeniably innocent” and victims of “judicial terrorism”. There is no evidence in the case to support a conviction, he said.
“We, the family, are heartbroken to be even more separated from our loved ones,” Zambrano said. “We pray that the leaders of our nation will step forward and continue to fight tirelessly for their freedom and human rights.”
Lawyer María Alejandra Poleo, who helped represent three of the men, said the case was “without evidence”. “Of course the defense will appeal the decision,” she said.
The so-called Citgo 6s are employees of the Houston-based Citgo refining company, which is owned by Venezuela’s state-owned oil company PDVSA. They had been lured to Venezuela three years ago for a business meeting and had been arrested for corruption.
Their arrest sparked a purge by President Nicolás Maduro’s government of PDVSA and at a time when relations between Caracas and Washington crumbled as Venezuela plunged into economic and social crisis.
Five of them were sentenced to prison terms of 8 years and 10 months, while one of them was sentenced to 13 years. Defense attorney Jesus Loreto said the five people with lesser conditions could be released on condition within a few years.
Venezuelan officials did not immediately comment.
One of the men, Tomeu Vadel, said in a letter written in a Caracas prison and provided exclusively to The Associated Press before the verdict that he hoped for a fair trial so he could walk freely with his name cleared and go home to his home. family in the United States.
Despite his circumstances, Vadell remained hopeful.
“During the trial, the truth turned out to be undeniable,” Vadell said in the handwritten four-page letter. “It proves that I am innocent.”
“I now come to an intersection where if justice is done, I can rebuild my life and try to compensate my family for all the lost moments,” he added. “The light is bright – hope is great – give me freedom.”
Videll said it was particularly painful to be separated during the Thanksgiving season from his wife, three grown children and a newborn grandson whom he never had.
“Before experiencing this tragedy, these celebrations were very special times for our family,” wrote Vadell, claiming he embraced the traditional American holiday after moving in 1999 from Caracas to Lake Charles, Louisiana for a job. at Citgo. “Now they bring me a lot of sadness.”
This is the first time that Vadell, or one of the so-called Citgo 6s, has spoken publicly since his arrest and charge in an alleged grand corruption scheme. He was held in a dreaded Caracas prison called El Helicoide.
The other convicts are Gustavo Cárdenas, Jorge Toledo, brothers Jose Luis Zambrano and Alirio Zambrano, all now American citizens. Jose Pereira, a permanent resident, received the longest sentence.
They were also charged with embezzlement stemming from a never-executed proposal to refinance some $ 4 billion of Citgo bonds by offering a 50% stake in the company as collateral. Maduro then accused them of “treason”.
They all pleaded innocence.
The men were called to PDVSA headquarters for what they were told to be a budget meeting on November 21, 2017. A business jet flew them to Caracas and were told they would be home for Thanksgiving. . Instead, military intelligence officers stormed the conference hall and took them to jail.
Their trial began four months ago and closing arguments were held on Thursday. The judge immediately announced his verdict.
The proceedings took place one day a week in a court in downtown Caracas. Due to the pandemic, sessions were held in front of a bank of dormant elevators in a hallway, apparently to take advantage of the air flowing through open windows.
News media and rights groups were denied access to the hearings. There was no response to a letter to Judge Lorena Cornielles requesting permission from the Associated Press to observe.
Venezuela’s chief prosecutor’s office said prior to the verdict in a statement to the PA that investigators had found “serious evidence” to corroborate potentially damaging financial crimes for the state-owned company.
“The Citgo case has developed normally during all the stages established by the Venezuelan criminal procedure,” the statement said.
Loreto said his client appeared to have been caught in a “geopolitical conflict” of which he was not a part. He said Vadell’s name did not appear on any of the documents prosecutors read into evidence.
“There is nothing that refers to Tomeu in any way – directly or indirectly,” the lawyer said. “This is the story of a good guy being held back against his will for all the wrong reasons.”
Former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who negotiated the release of other Americans held by hostile governments, visited Caracas in July and met with Maduro.
He did not win their freedom, but a few days later two of them – Cárdenas and Toledo – were released from prison and placed under house arrest. Two weeks later, the long-delayed trial began.
Richardson told AP that conversations with the Venezuelan government are continuing despite his meeting with Maduro being “a bit stormy”. He said he believed there was an openness tied to President-elect Joe Biden and Maduro’s desire to improve relations with Washington.
“I think the Venezuelans have been honest with me, but there is still room for improvement,” Richardson said ahead of the verdict. “My hope is to have something positive by Christmas.”
It’s unclear what approach Biden will take towards Maduro. Trump has vigorously insisted on eliminating Maduro with sweeping financial sanctions, and the US Department of Justice has charged Maduro with a “narcoterrorist,” offering a reward of $ 15 million for his arrest.
Vadell’s letter avoided politics. He did not mention Maduro or talk about his jailers, although he expressed concern about the “repercussions of the repercussions” of speaking out.
Encouraged by his family, Vadell broke his silence, taking a risk his loved ones deemed necessary.
“I believe it is more important that the light of hope shines upon us,” Vadell wrote. “May the light of hope end the sadness of my family.”
The other five men did not respond to invitations made by AP through their lawyers for comment.
Vadell’s daughter Cristina Vadell said in a phone interview with Lake Charles that her father was not the type of person to get attention. Rather, he prefers to focus on his work and his family.
During his 35-year career with PDVSA and Citgo, Vadell ended up running a refinery in Lake Charles and then became vice president of refining. The letter attempts to expose this aspect of her life, she said.
“I think he was ready to take risks and open hearts to allow him to come home,” she said. “I think he’s always wondering ‘What happened?’ He went to a business meeting and never came home.
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Scott Smith on Twitter: @ScottSmithAP
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Associated Press writer Joshua Goodman in Miami contributed to this report.
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