U.S. asks Mexico for help to investigate oil-for-food pact with Venezuela
APRIL 29, 2020 / 6:49 PM / UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO
3 MIN READ
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department, the Treasury Department and the U.S. Embassy in Mexico are investigating at least two Mexican firms involved in an oil-for-food pact signed in 2019 with Venezuela’s government, U.S. officials said on Wednesday.
Mexico-based Libre Abordo and an affiliated company, Schlager Business Group, have since late 2019 taken millions of barrels of Venezuelan oil for resale in Asia in exchange for corn and water trucks provided to Venezuela.
The deal has thrown a lifeline to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as Washington tightens punitive measures against his administration as part of a “maximum-pressure” strategy to oust him after critics decried his 2018 re-election as a sham.
Because the agreement was signed in mid-2019 after U.S. sanctions were imposed on Venezuela’s state-run oil company, PDVSA, the United States is asking Mexico’s government for help on the probe, according to the officials.
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https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-usa-probe-venezuela/u-s-asks-mexico-for-help-to-investigate-oil-for-food-pact-with-venezuela-idUSKBN22B3I6
