Credit: twitter.com/mquevedof /  President of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, PDVSA Manuel Salvador Quevedo Fernandez

By Gary Raynaldo  DIPLOMATIC TIMES

The US treasury department announced new sanctions Friday on Venezuelan intelligence and other officials close to President Nicolas Maduro, including the president of state-owned oil company PDVSA.  The Treasury sanctioned Ivan Rafael Hernandez Dala, the commander of Maduro’s Presidential Guard and Venezuela’s Directorate General of Military Counter-Intelligence; Manuel Ricardo Cristopher Figuera, director general of the Venezuelan National Intelligence Service (SEBIN); Hildemaro Jose Rodriguez Mucura, first commissioner of SEBIN; Rafael Enrique Bastardo Mendoza, commander of the Venezuelan National Police Special Actions Force (FAES); and Manuel Salvador Quevedo Fernandez, president of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company,  PDVSA.

“Treasury continues to target officials who have helped the illegitimate Maduro regime repress the Venezuelan people.  We are sanctioning officials in charge of Maduro’s security and intelligence apparatus, which has systematically violated human rights and suppressed democracy, including through torture and other brutal use of force. We are intent on going after those facilitating Maduro’s corruption and predation, including by sanctioning the President of PdVSA and others diverting assets that rightfully belong to the people of Venezuela.”

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

According to Mnuchin,  all property and interests in property of these individuals, and of any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50% or more by such individuals, that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC.  OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all dealings by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of blocked or designated persons.

Last month, the Trump administration sanctioned Venezuela’s state-owned oil firm  Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. PDVSA in a further attempt to turn up the heat on Maduro’s regime.  The sanctions against PDVSA are said to include  $7 billion in Venezuelan assets. National Security Adviser John Bolton said at a press conference that sanctions would reduce the country’s exports by $11 billion over the next year.  The chaotic political drama in Venezuela continues to unfold fast and furious ever since opposition leader JuanGuaidó declared himself the country’s interim president amid nationwide protests Wednesday, in a bid to seize power from Maduro.   The U.S. immediately backed  Guaidó’s action that many characterize as a ‘coup’.    

Treasury said it targeted five officials close to “illegitimate former President Nicolas Maduro,” allegedly the individuals “continue to repress democracy” and “engage in significant corruption and fraud against the people of Venezuela.”