
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
Manual for Tracking down the Nearby Business sectors and Marketplaces - 2
Inflammatory Merz remarks on migrants' violence against women slammed - 3
Apartment Turned Into Nightmare 'Ice Castle' After Tenant Shut Off Heat Causing Pipes to Burst: VIDEO - 4
Monetary Wellness: Planning Tips for Independence from the rat race - 5
Ancient Pompeii construction site reveals the process for creating Roman concrete
Don’t let food poisoning crash your Thanksgiving dinner
41 Young Men Die in South Africa After Circumcision Initiation
How one man's concern saved his brothers from heart disease
The beauty advent calendar boom is here. Sephora kids are all in.
AI is providing emotional support for employees – but is it a valuable tool or privacy threat?
What loving-kindness meditation is and how to practice it in the new year
Amateur's Manual for Venture Strategies for Tenderfoots
Experience Unrivaled Sound: Top Speakers You Really want to Hear
Anthony Joshua's driver charged over Nigeria crash that killed two













