
Oil tycoon Wilmer Ruperti showed up for a meeting with Venezuela’s intelligence agency last Thursday. A week later, he’s still in custody, one of his lawyers told Semafor.
“We’ve reached out to everybody trying to get proof of life or some support,” Winston & Strawn’s Cari Stinebower said, adding that officials still haven’t conveyed “how he’s being treated or why he’s being detained.”
Ruperti, who arrived at the meeting with a security detail, is a Venezuelan Italian shipping magnate who trades in petroleum coke. His detainment followed interim President Delcy Rodríguez’s decision to elevate the agency’s longtime chief to defense minister.
“The message is that Venezuela is open for business — but detaining businessmen for days on end without any due process or access to counsel is more old regime,” Stinebower said. “This is not law and order and not conducive of a welcoming business environment.”
The State Department and Energy Department did not respond to requests for comment.
LATEST POSTS
- 1
Lightning on Jupiter could be up to 1 million times stronger than on Earth - 2
Storm Goretti sweeps United Kingdom, France with winds over 120 mph - 3
Winter storms blanket the East, while the U.S. West is wondering: Where’s the snow? - 4
China's Normal Ponders: A Visual Excursion - 5
EU Commission prepares €90bn Ukraine loan despite Hungary's veto
April’s full pink moon will rise in the night sky this week
Ariana Grande to host 'Saturday Night Live' Christmas show with Cher as musical guest, returning after nearly 40 years
Which European palace do you fantasy about visiting? Vote!
A Manual for SUVs with Less Noteworthy Gas Mileage
The Most Astonishing Arising Advances to Watch
CNN Crew Detained and Journalist Put in Chokehold in IDF Run-In: ‘We’re Journalists. What Are You Doing?!’
Figure out How to Ascertain the Restitution Time frame for Your Sunlight based chargers
The most effective method to Quick Track Your Outcome in Advanced Showcasing with a Web-based Degree
Treason trial of South Sudan's suspended VP is further eroding peace deal, UN experts say












