US lifts sanctions on Venezuela’s acting president after Maduro’s capture – national
On Wednesday, the United States lifted sanctions against Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez, according to the Office of Foreign Assets Control on the Treasury Department’s website.
The release of the newly announced sanctions represents a strong sign that the US recognizes Rodríguez as the legitimate authority in Venezuela since US forces captured Rodríguez’s predecessor, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife on Jan. 3 in the capital of Venezuela, Caracas.
The two have since been taken to New York to face drug trafficking charges and both have pleaded not guilty.
This move allows Rodríguez to work freely with American companies and investors. Without clearly mentioning the sanctions against him, Rodríguez, in a statement, expressed hope for US-Venezuela relations.
“We appreciate President Donald Trump’s decision as a step to strengthen the relationship between our countries,” he said on his Telegram channel after the Treasury announcement. “We hope that this progress will allow the current sanctions against our country to be lifted, allowing us to build and ensure a bilateral cooperation agenda for the benefit of our people.”
The Venezuelan government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Rodríguez and his brother Jorge Rodríguez were hit by US sanctions during Trump’s first term for their alleged role in undermining Venezuela’s democracy.
The brothers – along with other members of Maduro’s inner circle – were added to the Treasury list in September 2018, months after Maduro won re-election in a contest considered fraudulent because politicians and opposition parties were banned from participating.
“Maduro has given Delcy Eloina Rodríguez Gomez and Jorge Jesus Rodríguez Gomez senior positions in the Venezuelan government to help him maintain power and strengthen his regime,” the Treasury said in a statement at the time.
Now, a few months since Maduro’s ouster, Rodriguez has spearheaded Venezuela’s cooperation with the Trump administration, pitching his oil-rich country to international investors and opening the country to private capital, international arbitration, and censorship.
The US has lifted sanctions on Venezuela’s biggest industries. In March, the Treasury issued a broad authorization allowing Petróleos de Venezuela SA, or PDVSA, to sell Venezuelan oil directly to US companies and international markets, a major change after Washington for years has largely blocked cooperation with the Venezuelan government and its oil sector.
Meanwhile, Maduro is legally the president of Venezuela.
In the hours after Jan. 3, the sovereign-loyal country’s supreme court declared his absence “temporary,” completely eliminating the need for quick elections and maintaining the protections the office affords him under international law. The court ordered Rodríguez to take this position for up to 90 days and may extend up to six months if approved by the National Assembly, which is also managed by the ruling party and overseen by his brother.
The 90-day period ends on Friday.
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