Venezuelan Prosecutor's Office: 51 Detained In Corruption Plots

Venezuela's attorney general, Tarek William Saab, informed that so far there are 51 persons deprived of liberty for being involved in corruption schemes within the oil industry.

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Among those arrested, 34 are involved in the Pdvsa-Cripto scheme, 6 for the judicial corruption scheme, a mayor of Las Tejerías, nine from the Venezuelan Guyana Corporation (CVG) and one for Cartones de Venezuela.

The Prosecutor's Office has revealed 31 corruption schemes, for which 127 persons are being investigated, said Tarek when pointing out that 16 are being tried and 75 have already been sentenced in the Pdvsa Cripto case.

He informed that, in total figures, to date there are 262 persons prosecuted for crimes related to corruption in the oil industry. Those who have been prosecuted so far confessed to their crimes and have implicated other criminals, Saab said.

Tarek William Saab: I have spoken of those who are apprehended today that are 51, within the corruption schemes that are several, therefore I do not want to advance information about any particular name.

Saab reiterated the extradition request to the governments of the U.S., Italy and Spain for the extradition of former oil minister and PDVSA president, Rafael Ramírez (2002-2014). According to the prosecutor, Ramírez is being investigated by the Public Prosecutor's Office for at least 10 corruption schemes.

Venezuela also requests the extradition of the former vice minister of Electric Energy, Nervys Villalobos, Rafael Reichter, Javier Alvarado Ochoa, Roberto Enrique Rincón Hernández and Adán José Sheira Bastidas.

The crimes committed by the aforementioned citizens against Venezuelan patrimony include bribery of public officials, evasion of bidding processes, money laundering and participation in corruption schemes.