2 oil officials arrested in Venezuela

By Diego Carranza

BOGOTA. Colombia (AA) - A pair of current and former oil officials in Venezuela were arrested Thursday as part of a wide-ranging corruption probe.

Attorney General Tarek Saab said the arrests of former Oil Minister Eulogio Del Pino and head of the state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) Nelson Martínez are part of a series of corruption investigations at the company.

"Today, a series of apprehensions and arrests are happening in another plot that has to do with corruption at PDVSA," Saab said at a news conference.

The investigations stem from irregularities in contracts awarded in the Orinoco Oil Belt, which reportedly has the world’s largest oil reserves.

Among the irregularities are allegations mafia groups distorted numbers and abnormalities within Citgo oil company, PDVSA’s U.S. subsidiary.

"We will get to the bottom of everything regarding PDVSA subsidiaries,” Saab said. “We have the support of the head of state and the workers," he added.

Top executives are among those currently under investigation for corruption.

“We are talking about the dismantling of a delinquent organized group that was installed within PDVSA”, according to Saab, who said some executives who were recently detained have linked Del Pino and Martinez in the corruption probe.

Saab said authorities are seeking 16 others in the investigation but he declined to provide names.

Petrozamora, another subsidiary of PDVSA, is also part of the investigations. More than 60 suspects have been detained in the probe in recent weeks.

*Daniela Mendoza and Maria Paula Triviño contributed with this report.