American oil execs, held 2 years, go to trial in Venezuela
Published: Aug. 7, 2020 at 1:34 PM CDT
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A Venezuela court has launched the trial of six American oil executives accused of corruption charges over two years ago.
Defense attorney Jesus Loreto said Friday that the case has taken on a new sense of urgency.
The six executives of the Houston-based Citgo refineries were arrested in late 2017 after being called to attend a meeting of PDVSA, the firm’s state-run parent-company.
Loreto says there seems to be an interest in quickly resolving the case that has lingered for over two years.
He credits the movement to a Caracas meeting in July between President Nicolás Maduro and former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.
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