
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
8 key takeaways from Savannah Guthrie's 'Today' interview on the disappearance of her mother - 2
NASA shares first photos of Earth taken by Artemis II - 3
Instructions to Distinguish the Wellbeing Dangers Related with 5G Pinnacles - 4
Jupiter and the moon take a sunset stroll on March 26. Here's how to see it - 5
West Palm Beach Shorecrest, renderings of downtown waterfront condo
Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson opens up about being the 'new guy' again — and why this moment feels like a new life
Israel halts defense sales to France, citing 'hostile attitude,' sources tell 'Post'
Charlotte faith leaders hold interfaith forum on Black and Palestinian solidarity
The most effective method to Pick the Right Material Organization: Fundamental Tips
Are protests pushing Iran's Islamic regime toward a tipping point?
Doctors say changes to US vaccine recommendations are confusing parents and could harm kids
No more attempts to free whale stranded off Germany, officials say
This Canadian crater looks like marbled meat | Space photo of the day for Jan. 6, 2026
NASA says Maven spacecraft that was orbiting Mars has gone silent












