The former attorney for the interim government of Juan Guaidó spoke on Night D about the consequences of a negotiation between the Colombian-Venezuelan company sanctioned by the United States Department of State before the arrival of Donald Trump to the White House
Jose Ignacio Hernandezformer attorney general of the interim government chaired by Juan Guaidó, expressed that the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, could disagree with the negotiations initiated by the government of Nicolás Maduro for a possible sale of the Colombian-Venezuelan company Monómeros.
Hernández spoke on Noche D with Víctor Amaya, director of SuchWhich about the current situation of the petrochemical company and the implications of a sale regarding the future return of Donald Trump to the White House. Since 2017, Monómeros has been under sanction by the United States Department of State, and between 2019 and 2021 it was under the administration of the interim government formed by the Venezuelan National Assembly elected in 2015.
In 2022, with the arrival of Gustavo Petro to power, Monómeros returned to the administration of the government of Nicolás Maduro and the Venezuelan Petrochemical Company (Pequiven), within the framework of the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between Venezuela and Colombia.
José Ignacio Hernández considered that the company represents an important asset for the agribusiness in Colombia and highlighted that the Petro government would refuse its transfer due to the negative impact it would cause on the production of inputs in the agricultural sector.
The expert specified that another reason that would indicate the Colombian government’s disagreement with the sale of Monómeros is the presence of New Granada executives in Pequiven and Monómeros in the context of the negotiations.
Hernández also noted that there is concern about the likely buyers of Monómeros:
“Given the little information about the sale of Monómeros, there is a possibility that the buyer may incur in illegal acts to extract wealth from the company and that this will affect Colombia’s agroindustry,” he added.
Regarding the actions that the United States Department of State may take, the lawyer and specialist in international litigation considered that the return to the sanctions scheme against Venezuelan companies and officials from the US administration is not so likely, but maintains that the incorporation of current Senator Marco Rubio in the government would toughen the leave policy applied during Joe Biden’s mandate.
«It should be ruled out as a fact that Trump is going to remove all of Biden’s actions on licenses. The context in which the sanctions were imposed on companies was totally different,” he said.
Hernández also spoke about the current situation of the Citgo company in the face of the upcoming change of government in the White House and explained that despite the regulations that protect the PDVSA subsidiary, political instability in Venezuela could affect governance at the oil company. He emphasized that the challenge of the Trump administration will be to maintain the company’s operations.
In that sense, the former attorney of the interim government chaired by Juan Guaidó highlighted that currently, only two external assets of Venezuela are “out of imminent risks” of embargoes on the debt of the Venezuelan State: Citgo and the gold reserves guarded in Gran Brittany.
José Ignacio Hernández said that the political situation in Venezuela after the presidential election on July 28 leaves more uncertainties in the development of oil companies and the licenses granted by the United States. The lawyer does not rule out that the North American government decides not to recognize Nicolás Maduro after a possible swearing-in on January 10 without the publication of the minutes confirming his victory in the elections.
«The Trump administration probably recognizes Edmundo González as it did with Juan Guaidó. The second scenario is that the administration wants to maintain the status quo,” Hernández said.
Click here to see the full interview.
*Read also: Petro opposes the privatization of Monómeros in a letter addressed to Maduro
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