Relatives and authorities received this Friday in Caracas 12 crew members of a Venezuelan cargo plane that has been held in Argentina for more than three months due to an investigation involving the United States and Iran.
“I am extremely excited to return. Really being here, sharing with our family (…), fills us with emotion,” one of the crew, Captain Vicente Raga, told state television after the plane that transported them will land at the international airport of Maiquetía, about 25 kilometers from Caracas.
On Tuesday, the Argentine justice authorized the departure of 12 of the 19 crew members of the retained aircraft, from the Emtrasur airline, a subsidiary of the Venezuelan state-owned Conviasa, sanctioned by the United States.
The Federal Court of Appeals of La Plata validated the decision of Judge Federico Villena, who lifted on August 1 the ban on leaving Argentina that weighed on eleven Venezuelan crew members and one Iranian, according to a sentence released by the press.
“A part of us stayed there, with the companions who did not come, but we hope that they will be back soon,” added Raga.
Four Iranians (including Gholamrez Ghasemi, accused of belonging to the Al Quds force) and three Venezuelans are still prohibited from leaving Argentina.
More than three months in Argentina
“We are celebrating the arrival of our first 12 crew members of our Emtrasur plane. They are an example of ethics, strength and struggle,” said the Minister of Transport, Ramón Velásquez Araguayán, at a reception prepared by the Government, which describes the situation experienced in Argentina as “a kidnapping”.
Emtrasur’s Boeing 747 arrived in Argentina on June 6, from Mexico, with a Venezuelan-Iranian crew and a load of auto parts.
Unable to refuel in Buenos Aires due to US sanctions, the plane left for Uruguay on June 8, but was denied entry by Uruguayan authorities and had to return to Argentina’s Ezeiza airport. Justice then initiated an investigation and prohibited the crew from leaving the country.
The device was purchased a year ago from the Iranian airline Mahan Air.
In mid-August, Judge Villena admitted a request from the United States to seize the Boeing 747, in response to an order from a District of Columbia court, according to which US “export control laws” were violated when the device It was sold.
