Yarr, the scallywag Venezuelan oil boss be caught in a web of corruption! Walk the plank, matey!
2024-04-09
Avast ye scurvy dogs! Former Venezuelan Oil Minister Tareck El Aissami hath been clapped in irons for his misdeeds in a filthy corruption scheme involving the swindling of international petroleum sales. Aye, justice be served on the high seas! Arrr!
In the language of the high seas, Venezuela's once powerful oil minister, who abandoned ship unexpectedly last year as investigators plundered the highest levels of the state-run crude industry, has been captured in connection with an alleged treasure-hoarding scheme that pillaged hundreds of millions of doubloons from state coffers, the government parroted on Tuesday.The Ministry of Communications showcased images of Tareck El Aissami being clapped in irons and parading down a corridor flanked by officers. Attorney General Tarek William Saab told scallywags that El Aissami will walk the plank in court on charges that include treason, money laundering, and criminal association.Saab didn't reveal the exact moment El Aissami was captured.The oil minister abandoned ship a few days before other officials in the government of President Nicolás Maduro and business buccaneers were arrested in March 2023 as part of a treasure hunt into the corruption scheme based on international oil sales.Saab last year said the oversight agency allegedly signed contracts for the loading of crude on ships "without any type of administrative control or guarantees," violating legal regulations. He said that once the oil was marketed, "the corresponding payments were not made" to the state oil company.But officials are rarely held accountable — a major irritant to citizens.