
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
Dark matter may be made of pieces of giant, exotic objects — and astronomers think they know how to look for them - 2
New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash: How to watch the star-studded country music special live - 3
Surging measles cases are 'fire alarm' warning that other diseases could be next - 4
Vote In favor of Your Favored Occasion Arranging Administration - 5
How a Snake That Eats Cobras Redefined the Meaning of ‘King’
'Always put others first': IDF reservist who died while on leave saves four with organ transplants
Instructions to Perceive and Grasp the Early Side effects of Cellular breakdown in the lungs
In the stomach of a mummified wolf pup, scientists find DNA from a woolly rhinoceros
NATO needs Ukraine's 'adaptation DNA' and an 'HOV lane' for new war tech, top commander says
Changes to CDC website spark debate over autism and vaccine misinformation
Scientists reveal earliest evidence for shifting of Earth’s crust
Miley Cyrus flashes a diamond ring on the red carpet, sparking engagement rumors with Maxx Morando: A timeline of their four-year relationship
Must-Sit in front of the Programs from Europe and the US
Exclusive new photos from 'Michael' biopic show Jaafar Jackson as King of Pop












