
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
Esteem Stuffed Gaming Workstations to Consider - 2
These 2 companies are teaming up to offer insurance for space debris strikes on satellites - 3
Genome study reveals milestone in history of cat domestication - 4
Vaccine committee votes to scrap universal hepatitis B shots for newborns despite outcry from children’s health experts - 5
A 'Stranger Things' documentary covering the final season is on its way: Watch the trailer
Nine in 10 German industrial firms expect Iran war to hit business
Research institutions tout the value of scholarship that crosses disciplines – but academia pushes interdisciplinary researchers out
The 10 Most Persuasive Forerunners in Innovation
Eight wounded, cars catch fire in central Israel following strike from Iranian cluster munition
In a scientific first, biologists recorded a wild wolf potentially using tools
Step by step instructions to Appropriately Keep up with Your Sunlight powered chargers for Most extreme Productivity
Manual for Big name Work out schedules
This Week In Space podcast: Episode 192 — Space, 2026!
What to know about voluntary chocolate recall













