
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
Nuno Loureiro, MIT physicist, fatally shot at home; police investigate - 2
Dominating Online Entertainment Showcasing: 7 Hints for Organizations - 3
The most effective method to Guarantee Simple Availability in Seniors' SUVs - 4
Have gravitational waves provided the first hint of primordial black holes born during the Big Bang? - 5
Baby takes 1st steps after receiving groundbreaking gene-edited therapy
Instructions to Pick the Right Dental Expert for Teeth Substitution
Reality TV star Spencer Pratt, who lost his home in Palisades Fire, is running for mayor of Los Angeles
She's been a Bond girl and a mutant. Now she's grappling with Hollywood's obsession with 'eternal youth.'
This is Countdown, CNN’s newsletter covering NASA’s first time sending humans to deep space in over 50 years
Volkswagen Plant Could Pivot From Building Cars to Supporting Iron Dome Systems
One killed, several injured in Iran missile barrage on southern, central Israel
Voting begins in Uganda’s presidential election during internet shutdown and polling station delays
Step by step instructions to Recognize the Distinction Between Lab Jewels and Precious stone Simulants
Flu season is underway. What are common symptoms to watch for?













