International

Venezuela confirms investigation of public officials for corruption

Photo: Impact Venezuela

March 20 |

The government of the Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro, confirmed on Sunday that it is investigating for alleged “administrative corruption and embezzlement”, several citizens who held public positions, reported the state channel Venezolana de Televisión.

Joselit Ramírez, dismissed from his position as head of the National Superintendence of Cryptocurrency and Related Activities (Sunacrip), where a “restructuring” took place, was reportedly arrested together with other officials, local newspaper Últimas Noticias reported.

Reports of arrests in the Venezuelan press have not yet been officially confirmed by Maduro’s government.

Ramirez is on the wanted list for “money laundering and sanctions evasion” of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. State Department, which is offering a reward of up to $5 million for his arrest.

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“Ramirez Camacho worked with others to violate and evade Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) narcotics-related sanctions, among other related regulations,” the government agency said.

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement points to Ramírez of having ties to Oil Minister Tareck El Aissami, designated in 2017 by the US Treasury Department as a “Specially Designated Narcotics Trafficker” for “playing a significant role in international narcotics trafficking.”

“He facilitated narcotics shipments from Venezuela, including control of planes leaving a Venezuelan airbase and drug routes through ports in Venezuela. In his former positions, he oversaw or partially owned narcotics shipments of more than 1,000 kilograms from Venezuela on multiple occasions, including those with Mexico and the United States as final destinations,” the US Department of Homeland Security states.

On several occasions the Venezuelan government, including President Nicolás Maduro, has defended several sanctioned officials, including El Aissami.

“They want to link him to Hezbollah, I know Tareck well, never in his life, he has never had contact with anyone from Hezbollah,” said the Venezuelan president at a public event in 2019.

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Other of those investigated in the operation of the anti-corruption authorities were the lawyer Cristóbal Cornieles Perret, president of the Criminal Judicial Circuit of Caracas; and the Fourth Control Judge with competence in crimes associated to terrorism, José Mascimino Márquez, who was in charge of cases where important opposition leaders were sentenced.

The Estafo channel also confirmed the investigation to the mayor of the Santos Michelena municipality of Aragua state, Pedro Hernández, “for issues linked” to criminal gangs.

The Venezuelan Anti-Corruption Police had announced on Friday that it requested the Public Prosecutor’s Office to “prosecute” a series of individuals who could be involved in “serious acts of administrative corruption and embezzlement”.

“The conviction of our actions are the result of a thorough investigation, carried out for months, which points to citizens who exercised functions in the Judicial Power, in the oil industry, and in some municipal mayors’ offices of the country”, states the communiqué.

On the same Friday, in the middle of an act broadcasted by the State channel, Maduro called on his cabinet ministers to “stick to ethics”.

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“They have to stick to honesty and selfless public service, service as an apostolate to the people because the power we have does not belong to us, the power I have as president does not belong to me, it belongs to the sovereign people of Venezuela. Let us not forget ministers, comrades who have leadership, I hand over to you and I delegate my trust to you”, said Maduro.

Venezuelan opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, reacted by assuring that with the facts, Nicolás Maduro “confesses” again “where the corruption is”.

“No internal struggle will make them wash their hands. They intend to continue stealing and clinging to power, aggravating the daily life of millions. Not even in a series of narcos was there so much brazenness,” he wrote on Twitter.

For his part, also political leader Julio Borges assured from exile that there is an “internal war” in the government to divide a “loot” among “looters”.

“They are not fooling anyone, Venezuela knows that the corrupt are in Miraflores”, insisted Borges in a tweet.

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International

White House says Cuba policy unchanged despite sanctioned fuel shipment

The White House said Monday that it has not changed its policy toward Cuba, despite allowing a sanctioned Russian oil tanker to deliver fuel to the island on humanitarian grounds.

U.S. officials emphasized that the decision was made as an exception and does not signal a broader shift in policy.

The administration added that similar decisions would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, depending on humanitarian considerations.

The clarification comes amid ongoing restrictions related to U.S. sanctions policy, which continue to limit trade and financial flows involving Cuba.

International

Spain to grant citizenship to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López

The Spanish government is expected to grant citizenship this Tuesday to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lópezthrough an extraordinary procedure known as “carta de naturaleza.”

The decision will be approved by royal decree, an exceptional legal mechanism used in special cases that require expedited resolution due to specific circumstances.

López has been living in Madrid since 2020, after leaving Venezuela following a prolonged political and legal conflict with the government of Nicolás Maduro.

According to government sources, López currently does not have a valid Venezuelan passport and faces difficulties in having his nationality fully recognized in his home country.

As a result, he applied for Spanish citizenship via a fast-track process at the end of 2025, after previously attempting to obtain it through regular procedures.

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The Spanish government justified the move based on López’s international relevance and foreign policy considerations.

López is the leader of the Voluntad Popular party and co-founder of the World Liberty Congress, an initiative launched in 2022 alongside figures such as Garry Kasparov and Masih Alinejad.

International

ICE to remain at airports amid DHS shutdown, Homan says

The U.S. “border czar,” Tom Homan, said Sunday that agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will remain deployed at airports until operations return to “100% normal,” as the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues.

“We will maintain ICE presence until airports feel they are fully back to normal operations,” Homan said during an interview on Face the Nation on CBS.

Homan justified the deployment on security grounds, noting that the measure was ordered by President Donald Trumpamid widespread absenteeism among agents of the Transportation Security Administration, who have gone without pay for over six weeks due to the DHS shutdown.

According to acting TSA administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill, at least 460 TSA agents have resigned during the shutdown, while daily absenteeism has averaged 11%, exceeding 50% at some airports.

Homan warned that if TSA staffing levels do not recover after the shutdown, ICE agents will continue filling the gap. “ICE is there to support our TSA brothers and sisters. We will remain as long as needed to ensure airport security,” he said.

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The DHS shutdown reached 44 days on Sunday, making it the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The impasse stems from disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over ICE funding.

A recent bipartisan Senate proposal to fund DHS without including ICE failed after being blocked by House Republicans, who insist on full funding for the agency.

Amid the deadlock, Trump signed an executive order directing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to immediately pay TSA agents to address what he called an “emergency situation” and restore order at airports, with payments expected to begin Monday.