U.S. blacklists Venezuelan judge, prosecutor over Citgo 6 trial

Dec. 31 (UPI) -- The Trump administration has imposed sanctions against a Venezuelan judge and prosecutor in connection to last month's sentencing of six U.S. oil executives known as the Citgo 6.

Venezuelan Judge Lorena Carolina Cornielles Ruiz and prosecutor Ramon Antonio Torres Espinoza were blacklisted Wednesday for presiding over and prosecuting the six men who were sentenced last month to between eight and 13 years in prison.

The five dual U.S.-Venezuelan citizens and one U.S. permanent resident are executives of the Houston-based oil refiner Citgo, which is owned by Venezuelan state-run PDVSA, and were arrested in the capital Caracas and charged with corruption in November 2017.

The United States has described the charges as politically motivated and were tried during a trial absent of guarantees it would be conducted fairly.

"The unjust detention and sentencing of these six U.S. persons further demonstrates how corruption and abuse of power are deeply embedded in Venezuela's institutions," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

Cornielles, a judge in the Executive Directorate of the Venezuelan Supreme Court who presided over the trial of the Citgo 6, was sanctioned for sentencing each of the six men, the Treasury said.

Torres was sanctioned for being the Venezuelan government's primary prosecutor during the trial, the Treasury said.

Both were blacklisted under a 2015 executive order that permits the government to block property and suspend entry of former and current Venezuelan government officials.

"These six men and their families have suffered long enough," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement on Wednesday. "It is time for Maduro to release the Citgo 6 and let them be reunited with their families."

The sanctions were imposed as the Trump administration enters its final weeks in office.

During its tenure, the administration has taken a strong stance against the Venezuelan government of President Nicolas Maduro, sanctioning more than 100 officials, including the president, his wife and son.

Trump has been attempting to oust Maduro through sanctions since the socialist ruler's 2018 re-election was deemed illegitimate. The United States has led a coalition of more than 55 countries that have backed National Assembly President Juan Guaido's claim to the interim presidency.

Venezuela has repeatedly balked at the sanctions, and on Wednesday Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza via Twitter accused the blacklisting of its legal professionals of being the product of "imperial barbarism."