
Oil tycoon Wilmer Ruperti showed up for a meeting with Venezuela’s intelligence agency last Thursday. A week later, he’s still in custody, one of his lawyers told Semafor.
“We’ve reached out to everybody trying to get proof of life or some support,” Winston & Strawn’s Cari Stinebower said, adding that officials still haven’t conveyed “how he’s being treated or why he’s being detained.”
Ruperti, who arrived at the meeting with a security detail, is a Venezuelan Italian shipping magnate who trades in petroleum coke. His detainment followed interim President Delcy Rodríguez’s decision to elevate the agency’s longtime chief to defense minister.
“The message is that Venezuela is open for business — but detaining businessmen for days on end without any due process or access to counsel is more old regime,” Stinebower said. “This is not law and order and not conducive of a welcoming business environment.”
The State Department and Energy Department did not respond to requests for comment.
latest_posts
- 1
Palestinians tell BBC they were sexually abused in Israeli prisons - 2
Real time features for Films and Programs - 3
Keep It Cool: Uncovering Famous Fridge Brands for Each Home - 4
‘Grit’ and relentless perseverance can take a toll on brain health − particularly for people facing social stresses like racism - 5
Woman gives birth on roadside after hospital allegedly sent her home: Family
Figure out How to Score Huge with Open Record Rewards
Tech for Learning: Online Courses and Instructive Apparatuses
Florida has quietly become America's execution capital
Thousands of New York City nurses set to strike Monday if deal isn't reached with hospitals
CDC advisory panel delays vote on hepatitis B vaccines after unruly meeting
Geminid meteors streak under green sky | Space photo of the day for Dec. 19, 2025
'The Beast in Me' arrives on Netflix: Is it based on a true story? And what drew Claire Danes to it? What to know about the thriller series.
Hamas hands over another body in the Gaza Strip
Outer space conditions hamper sperm's ability to navigate toward an egg












