
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
Carrefour becomes first European retailer to offer shopping on ChatGPT - 2
Air India chief resigns 10 months after devastating Ahmedabad crash and amid mounting financial troubles - 3
British-Egyptian dissident apologises for tweets as Tories push for UK deportation - 4
Living in the dark: Gaza’s struggle for electricity - 5
Merz: 80% of Syrians in Germany expected to return within three years
Hitting the brakes: Hubble Space Telescope watches doomed comet reverse its spin
Creative Style: 10 Architects Reclassifying the Business
The Main 20 Gaming Control center Ever
Scientists find evidence that an asteroid contains tryptophan
Figure out How to Alter Your Volvo XC40 for Further developed Solace
Figure out how to Perceive Warnings while Looking for an Auto Collision Lawyer
At least 7 dead as Israel renews attacks on Beirut and across Lebanon
Taco Bell debuts its Baja Blast pie, and the reactions may surprise you
Vote in favor of Your #1 Instructive Toy: Learning and Tomfoolery Joined













