Venezuela Denounces Theft of PDVSA Plane by the U.S.
Marco Rubio (R) at the time of the seizure of the Venezuelan aircraft in the Dominican Republic, February 2025. X/ @SecRubio
February 7, 2025 Hour: 10:34 am
Marco Rubio confiscated the Dassault Falcon 2000EX aircraft that was in the Dominican Republic.
On Friday, the government of President Nicolas Maduro called the confiscation of an aircraft owned by the state-run Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) a “blatant theft.” The aircraft, which was in the Dominican Republic, was seized by the United States for alleged violations of its sanctions and export control laws.
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“Venezuela denounces before the world the blatant theft of an aircraft belonging to the Venezuelan nation, carried out by order of the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio,” stated Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Yvan Gil.
The Bolivarian diplomat argued that this attack against Venezuela proves that Rubio “is nothing more than a criminal disguised as a politician, using his position to loot and strip the country of its assets.”
“His hatred turns him into an international criminal, willing to violate any norm as long as it harms our homeland. Marco Rubio will go down in history for what he is: a thief and a declared enemy of our people,” Gil pointed out, warning that Venezuela would take all necessary actions to denounce the theft and demand the immediate return of the aircraft.
On Thursday, the United States confiscated the aircraft, which was parked in a hangar at an airport in Santo Domingo, citing alleged violations of export control laws and sanctions. This aircraft, a Dassault Falcon 2000EX used by PDVSA, is the second plane seized in five months.
Dominican authorities handed over the aircraft to Rubio at La Isabela Airport in the province of Santo Domingo, where it had been held since 2024. Rubio claimed that the Venezuelan aircraft was used to “evade U.S. sanctions and launder money.”
Acquired in 2017 by PDVSA in the U.S., the Dassault Falcon 2000EX underwent maintenance several times using U.S.-manufactured parts, which violates Washington’s export control laws and sanctions.
In Sep. 2024, the U.S. seized another Venezuelan aircraft that was in the Dominican Republic for maintenance purposes. It was transferred to Florida for allegedly being illegally purchased for US$13 million.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE – FM
