Venezuela grants US oil executives house arrest in gesture to Biden MIAMI

Corruption charges  Venezuela Six US oil executives,  house arrest in gesture to Biden MIAMI  

                                     

FILE - This undated file photo posted on Twitter on June 18, 2020 by Venezuela's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, shows CITGO oil executives Jose Angel Pereira, from left to right, Gustavo Cardenas, Jorge Toledo, Jose Luis Zambrano, Tomeu Vadell and Alirio Jose Zambrano, standing outside - Photp Credit/AP

Arrested more than three years ago on corruption charges in Venezuela, received house Arrested in a gesture of goodwill to the Biden government on Friday as it was reviewing its policy towards Biden.

 The politically turbulent South American country Tomu Vadell, José Luis Zambrano, Alirio Zambrano, Jorge Toledo, Gustavo Cárdenas and José Pereira were taken away by masked security agents during a meeting in Caracas.

 Shortly before Thanksgiving 2017to attend a meeting at the headquarters of Citgo's parent company, the state oil giant PDVSA. The so-called Citgo 6 was placed under house arrest once in December 2019, only to be arrested two months later on the same day.

 That President Donald Trump welcomed opposition leader Juan Guaidó to the White House; and that by liberating the men, Maduro could bet that he would get a better audience from President Joe Biden, who in the election campaign calls Trump's regime change policies a "pathetic failure" only served to strengthen the socialist leader.

 Senior Biden officials from various federal agencies should meet earlier this week to weigh US options. 

The meeting, which Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will attend, followed an uncertain attempt at dialogue between Maduro and his opponents people familiar with the plans.

 Maduro has taken a number of steps in the past few days to get Biden's attention, including the US longstanding demand that the World Food Program be allowed to go ahead at a time of rising hunger in the country.

In the past few days, Maduro's allies have also spoken discreetly with opponents about the formation of a new electoral council and joint efforts to fight the coronavirus, as well as meeting with Norwegian diplomats trying to reactivate negotiations to end the country's never-ending crisis. 

Juan González, senior director of the National Security Council for the Western Hemisphere, told the AP in an interview on Friday that he wanted to "take concrete steps" by the regime, not words" to judge Maduro's seriousness about any negotiations the former governor of the former governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, was one of those who worked behind the scenes 

to pressure the Maduro government to release the men, all but one of whom are dual Venezuelan and US citizens, and an important step forward front, which should help ensure their well-being during the COVID-19 outbreak in Venezuela, "Richardson said in a statement.

 Hannels vowed to hostile governments in Iran, Cuba and North Korea to secure the release of around 40 Americans to work tirelessly to get the men home.

He also called for Luke's release Denman and Airan Berry, two former Green Berets who participated in a raid f there last year from neighboring Colombia and former U.S Marine  Matthew Heath, who is detained on unrelated allegations.

The six men were convicted of embezzlement last year in a delays and irregular process and a never-executed proposal to refinance Citgo bonds valued at around $ 4 billion, 50% over 8 to 13 years The company condemns prison as a guarantee. 

Maduro then accused her of "treason". They all pleaded not guilty. Pope Francis also pushed for the liberation of the people. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Vatican, sent a letter to the then US Ambassador to the Vatican, Callista Gingrich, last autumn, in which he mentioned a letter from the representative of the Holy See in the Vatican.

 Caracas to the Venezuelan authorities asking for mercy. Parolin was scheduled to travel to Venezuela, where he previously served as the Vatican's ambassador, to attend the beatification of José Gregorio Hernández, a 19th-century Venezuelan doctor by the nickname "Doctor of the Poor". 

But the second Vatican canceled the trip at the last minute and spearheaded the coronavirus pandemic.“We would like our beloved Tomeu to fly to the United States with unconditional release, 

but we are very grateful for this positive step made possible by Governor Richardson and his team, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the Vatican State Department and other allies all over the world, "Tomeu Vadell's family said in a statement.