Families of 6 Americans convicted in Venezuela cry foul
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FILE – In this Feb. 15, 2019 file photo, Dennysse Vadell sits between her daughters Veronica, right, and Cristina holding a digital photograph of father and husband Tomeu who is currently jailed in Venezuela, in Katy, Texas. Tomeu Vadell, who is one of six U.S. oil executive jailed for three years in Venezuela, says in a letter from prison provided to The Associated Press on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020, that it’s especially painful to be separated during the Thanksgiving season from from his wife, three adult children and a newborn grandson he’s never held. (AP Photo/John L Mone, File)
Hopes of families for a quick release for six American oil executives detained in Venezuela for three years over an alleged corruption scheme have evaporated, with a judge finding them all guilty and quickly sentencing them to prison.
Attorneys and relatives of the so-called Citgo 6 said the men were wrongly convicted, and the defense lawyers vowed to appeal Thursday’s verdicts.
Alirio Rafael Zambrano, whose two brothers were among the defendants, said they were “undeniably innocent” and victims of “judicial terrorism.” No evidence presented in the case supports a guilty conviction, he said.
FILE – This undated file photo posted on Twitter on June 18, 2020 by Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, shows CITGO oil executives Jose Angel Pereira, from left to right, Gustavo Cardenas, Jorge Toledo, Jose Luis Zambrano, Tomeu Vadell and Alirio Jose Zambrano, standing outside the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service, in Caracas, Venezuela. Vadell says in a letter from prison provided to The Associated Press on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020, that it’s especially painful to be separated during the Thanksgiving season from from his wife, three adult children and a newborn grandson he’s never held. It’s the first time Vadell or the other five jailed executives of Houston-based Citgo have spoken publicly since being arrested and charged with a massive corruption scheme. (Posted on Twitter by Jorge Arreaza/Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry via AP File)
“We, the family, are heartbroken to be separated even further from our loved ones,” Zambrano said by phone from New Jersey. “We pray that the leaders of our nation step forward and continue to fight unceasingly for their freedom and human rights.”
Attorney María Alejandra Poleo, who helped represent three of the men, said the case was “void of evidence.” “Of course, the defense will appeal the decision,” she said.
