This Tuesday, the Venezuelan government released Evanan Romero, the veteran oil consultant 86 years old with dual nationality Venezuelan and Americanwhose arrest last Friday generated a new source of tension in the country’s energy and political sector.
According to the Spanish media ABC from Spain, Romero was arrested at the Maracaibo airport when he was preparing to board an internal flight to Caracas to fulfill an agenda of meetings with international oil companies, at a time when the United States and global actors are pressing for the reactivation of crude oil production and investments in the Venezuelan industry after the capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3.
The expert, with decades of experience in the sector and a key figure for the stabilization of Venezuelan oil, had been detained without notification of formal charges or clear explanation from the authoritieswhich sparked questions about political motivations behind his arrest.
Detention and conditions of confinement
According to ABCRomero related that the arrest warrant “appeared on the computer” when he was checking his documentation to board the flight. He was seized by police officers and Interpol agents at the Zulian airport without charges being brought against him, and spent his first night in an Interpol office.
For health reasons and due to his advanced age, the authorities allowed him to remain in custody in a private clinic in Maracaibo, whose expenses he assumed himself, instead of in a cell. During his detention, his electronic devices were removedwhich prevented him from participating in planned meetings with representatives of international companies as part of investment and recovery projects in the energy industry.
Romero had arrived in Venezuela days before from Panama, with a stopover in Colombia, and used his US passport to enter the country, although on his internal flights he used his Venezuelan ID, as is required of those who have Venezuelan nationality.
The release occurs at a critical moment for Venezuela’s oil sector, in the midst of diplomatic efforts aimed at attracting capital and reactivating production, within the framework of tensions between the interim administration headed by Delcy Rodriguez and international interests, especially with the United States.
Romero’s arrest was interpreted by some observers as a contradictory message in the midst of efforts to provide legal security to foreign investors and technical experts, after years of crisis that have affected the oil industry, the traditional engine of the Venezuelan economy.
