Six executives with Houston refining company Citgo have been hauled back into custody in Venezuela after that nation’s opposition leader, Juan Guaido, met with President Donald Trump at the White House.
Citgo executives Jose Luis Zambrano, Alirio Zambrano, Jorge Toledo, Tomeu Vadell, Gustavo Cardenas and Jose Pereira had spent the past two months under house arrest in Caracas after their November 2017 arrest in Venezuela.
Five of the men known as the “Citgo 6” are naturalized U.S. citizens, while the other is a legal resident. While working in Texas and Louisiana, the men were called to a meeting at Citgo’s parent company, Petroleos de Venezuela SA, in Caracas, where they were arrested on corruption charges — allegations they deny.
Held for more than two years without trial, the men were placed under house arrest by a judge in December. But hours after Guaido’s meeting with Trump, the men were again in official custody, family members confirmed Thursday.
The Trump administration recognizes Guaido as Venezuela’s president after a disputed 2018 election in which incumbent Nicolas Maduro claimed victory. The U.S. administration has imposed crippling sanctions, unsuccessfully aimed at unseating Maduro, that have left the nation with chronic shortages of electricity, food, medicine and other necessities.
Because there was no judge’s order to take the men back into custody, family members of the men were puzzled by the arrests. Cristina Vadell, Tomeau Vadell’s daughter who lives in Louisiana, said a family attorney confirmed he was taken into custody.
“For 16 hours we didn’t know where he was,” Cristina Vadell said. “Is he taking his medications? Is he eating? Is he sleeping? We don’t know.”
Politics: Citgo Six released under house arrest in Venezuela
While under house arrest, Tomeu Vadell stayed in the Caracas apartment of a family friend, sleeping on a mattress on the floor, she said. Family members sent food, medicine, vitamins and other supplies, and talked with him over a landline phone.
“Even though there were some improvements, there were some new challenges,” Cristina Vadell said. “Every time I talked to him on the phone, he mentioned that he expressed an interest in coming home.”
But those communications were cut short Wednesday. Vadell’s mother, Dennysse Vadell, last spoke with him at 4 p.m. Wednesday. A couple of hours later, they learned from the family of another jailed Citgo executive that their loved one had been taken into custody. They tried calling him, but nobody answered. Their fears were confirmed by the family’s attorney Thursday.
“Even under Venezuelan law, you can’t hold someone for two years without a trial,” Cristina said. “Under Venezuelan law, you should be released when that happens. So, we’re not asking for any special treatment.”
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In a Thursday afternoon statement, Citgo reiterated the company’s support for the families of its jailed executives and called for them to be released.
"Citgo believes that the detention of these men violates their fundamental human rights, including the right to due process under law,” the company said. “We pray for their safety, and for their families as they contend with all of the challenges presented by this lengthy separation from their loved ones. We continue to support the detainees’ families, and we are grateful for the efforts of this administration and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to bring these men home.”
Sanctions: Houston companies caught in political tug-of-war over Venezuela
Julian Cardenas, a law professor at the University of Houston who sits on the Guaido-appointed board of directors for Petroleos de Venezula SA, said the arrests come at a time when the Trump administration is increasing pressure on the Maduro regime.
It also comes at a time when Guaido is building support by touring Europe, Canada and the United States. The Venezuelan leader was a guest at Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday, a day before the White House meeting.
Retaking the men into official custody, Cardenas says, appears to be a political tit for tat.
“One event was apparently retaliation for the other,” he said.
sergio.chapa@chron.com
@SergioChapa on Twitter
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