Chronicle Editor
CARACAS. — Venezuelan authorities said yesterday they detained two once-powerful officials who had run the oil ministry and state energy company PDVSA as part of a deepening anti-corruption purge also seen as a power play by leftist President Nicolas Maduro.
Engineer Eulogio Del Pino was thought to have participated in a $500 million corruption and sabotage scheme at the Petrozamora joint venture, while chemist Martinez was suspected of allowing a poor refinancing deal for US-based refiner Citgo Petroleum Corp, which he used to lead, to go ahead without government approval, prosecutor Tarek Saab said in a televised speech.
Their detention is the biggest development to date in a months-old probe that has led to the jailing of about 65 executives in a sweep that has panicked PDVSA workers and stalled decision-making in the company that oversees the world’s biggest crude reserves. The arrests of Del Pino and Martinez put attention on Rafael Ramirez, who was Venezuela’s oil czar for a decade and under whom both men ascended. — Reuters.
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