Joselit Ramirez, head of Venezuelan cryptocurrency authority Sunacrip, was arrested on March 18, according to local media reports. Ramirez, who has led the institution since its inception in 2018, was arrested for involvement in corruption schemes, including the embezzlement of $3 billion linked to unrecorded oil sales.
Sunacrip boss Joselit Ramirez arrested
Joselit Ramirez, head of Venezuelan cryptocurrency authority Sunacrip, was arrested on March 18 for alleged corruption. According reports According to local newspaper Ultimas Noticias, Ramirez’s arrest is part of a special national operation against corruption, which also included the capture of more high-profile individuals, including Cristobal Cornielles, president of the judicial circuit of Caracas, and Pedro Hernandez, a city mayor.
Although details of the investigation have not been released, local media suggest the arrest is linked to the disappearance of $3 billion from Venezuelan oil sales that did not enter the accounts of the State.
Venezuelan oil sales paid for in crypto have already been detected by the US government, which has PDVSA, the state oil company, as a partner sanctioned entity since January 2019. In October, two oil brokers were accused of brokering illicit oil transactions for PDVSA, using cryptocurrencies and shell companies to avoid detection.
Ramirez, who has led the institution since its inception in 2018, is also among Venezuelan government officials indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice for narcoterrorism and corruption on March 26, 2020. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has also been charged with ‘era.
Appointed Restructuring Commission
Following the arrest, President Maduro signed a Executive Decree which organizes the restructuring of Sunacrip and the withdrawal of Ramirez. The measure, effective from March 17, will run for six months and will be carried out by a restructuring commission, which will examine the current status of the institution and propose changes to rules and procedures to “contribute to the aims and objectives”. . from the country.
As part of the decree, Maduro said the step was taken to “protect the Venezuelan people from the negative effects of the multifaceted aggression that is taking place against the country.” The restructuring commission will be chaired by Anabel Pereira Fernández and three main administrators: Hector Obregon, Luis Perez and Julio Mora. In addition, three other alternate directors have also been appointed.
What do you think of the arrest of the former boss of Sunacrip, Joselit Ramirez, and the next restructuring of the institution? Tell us in the comments section below.
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