Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez issuing a statement about the theft of CITGO by the US government. Caracas, Dec. 2, 2025. Photo: Venezuelan Presidential Press.
The Venezuelan government strongly condemned the December 1 decision by a US court to submit Venezuelan state possession CITGO to a “forced sale.” The procedure was carried out in rogue judicial proceedings by US authorities and the decision will be detrimental Venezuela and its people. The decision attempts to consummate the theft of the most important Venezuelan state asset abroad.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez read a statement Tuesday outlining Venezuela’s official position on this seizure carried out “in collusion with far-right extremist Venezuelan sectors” at the service of the US government. The fraudulent operation was explained in detail by Venezuelanalysis.com in a recent report.
Furthermore, VP Rodríguez stated that this act constitutes a vulgar and barbaric dispossession of a Venezuelan asset in North American territory through a fraudulent process. The action should send warning signals to all governments and businesspeople that treat the US as a safe haven for investments.
CITGO, valued at approximately US $11-13 billion, is a key asset of Venezuela’s publicly owned petroleum company, PDVSA (Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A.) that Washington intends to seize through purported “legal” means.
VP Rodríguez noted that thanks to the US executive branch meddling in the courts of that country, Venezuela and PDVSA have been intentionally and illegally excluded from the process and from the right to defense under the US premise of not recognizing the legitimate government of President Nicolás Maduro.
This episode constitutes, according to the vice president’s statement, a multifaceted attack waged by the US in complicity with Venezuelan opposition figures, including María Corina Machado, Edmundo González Urrutia, Juan Guaidó, Julio Borges, Carlos Vecchio, José Ignacio Hernández, and the organized crime group calling itself the 2015 National Assembly. These same actors have consistently attempted to usurp the representation of Venezuela and its interests abroad, leaving the nation defenseless.
“CITGO was taken over by extremists, posing as the Venezuelan government since 2019, and that company generated approximately between US $4 and $5 billion every year,” Rodríguez stated. “Not only are we losing US $12 billion, but since 2019, they have accumulated US $24 billion in dividends. What have they done with that money? They have stolen it.”
Similarly, she emphasized that these resources were used to provide money to Juan Guaidó and Dinorah Figuera, whom she accused of being part of a “criminal gang of organized crime to steal assets and hand them over to a foreign government,” while reiterating that CITGO’s resources were used to destabilize Venezuela: “they used it for violence in Venezuela with extremist groups and by fascist groups.”
The thieves’ names
Rodríguez revealed the names of other Venezuelans responsible for the theft of CITGO, who held positions illegally, in the name of Venezuela, although they were actually acting in their own self-interest.
Such is the case of José Ignacio Hernández, who presented himself in the United States as a “prosecutor” or lawyer for Venezuela but is actually part of the illegitimate and fraudulent government of Juan Guaidó and worked for some of the vulture firms that are taking over CITGO.
Luisa Palacios, Carlos Jordá, Édgar Rincón, Luis Urdaneta, Ángel Almeta, Andrés Eloy Padilla, Carlos Pobdal, Luis Giusti, and José Ramón Pocaterra are some of those who served on the illegitimate CITGO Board of Directors since 2019.
Additionally, the vice president recalled that many of these names are “oil people,” the same ones who promoted the coup against Commander Hugo Chávez and promoted the oil strike in 2002.
Court Official Endorses Elliott Management Over Gold Reserve in Mandated Sale of Venezuela’s CITGO
She emphasized that these far-right operators aim to hand Venezuela’s oil reserves over to the US and, for that reason alone, want to obtain political power in Venezuela. “It’s the same as the current puppet…,” she added, “promising the United States government that she would hand over the world’s largest oil reserves, the largest gas reserves on the planet, gold, and minerals. That’s what they have promised; they want to gain political power to carry out these plans.”
The Venezuelan government reiterated that it does not recognize and will not recognize the “forced sale” of CITGO, carried out in flagrant disregard of economic guarantees and freedoms, due process, and the right to defense guaranteed by any civilized nation.
Rodríguez emphasized that the Venezuelan state has the relevant laws and institutions to bring to justice those who facilitated this theft, which constitutes a stateless and criminal act.
(Últimas Noticias) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SL
