Joselit Ramírez, head of Venezuelan cryptocurrency authority Sunacrip, was arrested on March 18, according to local media reports. Ramírez, who has led the institution since its inception in 2018, was arrested for allegedly being involved in corruption schemes, including the embezzlement of $3 billion related to unrecorded oil sales.
Sunacrip boss Joselit Ramírez arrested
Joselit Ramírez, head of Venezuelan cryptocurrency authority Sunacrip, was arrested on March 18 on alleged corruption charges. According reports From the local newspaper Ultimas Noticias, Ramírez’s arrest is part of a special national anti-corruption operation, which also included the capture of high-profile individuals, including Cristóbal Cornielles, president of the Caracas judicial circuit, and Pedro Hernández, a mayor of the city.
While no details of the investigation have been released, local media suggest that the arrest is related to the disappearance of $3 billion obtained from Venezuelan oil sales that did not enter state accounts.
Sales of Venezuelan oil paid for with cryptocurrencies have previously been detected by the US government, which counts PDVSA, the state oil company, as a penalized entity since January 2019. In October, two oil brokers were charged with brokering illicit oil deals for PDVSA, using cryptocurrencies and shell companies to avoid detection.
Ramírez, who led the institution since its inception in 2018, is also listed as one of the Venezuelan government officials indicted by the US Department of Justice on narcoterrorism and corruption charges on March 26, 2020. The Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was also charged at the time.
Appointed Restructuring Commission
As a result of the arrest, President Maduro signed a executive order which orders the restructuring of Sunacrip and the dismissal of Ramírez. The measure, effective as of March 17, will last six months and will be executed by a restructuring commission, which will examine the current state of the institution and propose changes to the rules and procedures to “contribute to the goals and objectives ” from the country.
As part of this executive order, Maduro indicated that this measure was taken to “protect the Venezuelan people from the negative effects of the multiform aggression that is taking place against the country.” The restructuring commission will be chaired by Anabel Pereira Fernández and three main directors: Héctor Obregón, Luis Pérez and Julio Mora. In addition, three other alternate directors were appointed.
What do you think of the arrest of the former head of Sunacrip, Joselit Ramírez, and the upcoming restructuring of the institution? Tell us in the comment section below.
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