The U.S. transferred a share of Venezuelan oil to a businessman under investigation
Billionaire Alejandro Betancourt has become Washington's partner in a large-scale oil project in Venezuela; who was previously investigated by U.S. prosecutors in a case involving the alleged embezzlement of more than $1 billion from the state-owned oil company PDVSA.
The federal investigation into Betancourt was subsequently suspended. A U.S. official stated that the case primarily concerns events that took place nearly a decade ago, and that the businessman currently faces no legal issues in the United States.
Under the new agreement, the Pentagon’s Office of Strategic Capital will acquire a 35% stake in North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP), which is already producing oil in Venezuela.
The U.S. State Department will have the right to purchase 20% of the oil produced by NABEP at cost, as well as priority access to the remaining 80%. In this way, Washington expects to gain access to a significant portion of Venezuela’s oil reserves for decades to come.
According to Reuters sources, Betancourt also played a key role in shaping the U.S. strategy toward Venezuela in the run-up to the January 3 operation, during which Nicolás Maduro was removed from power and transported to the U.S.
Source: Reuters.
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