Caracas has accused Washington of flouting international law, warning that it reserves the right to retaliate
The US decision to seize a plane used by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is blatant “piracy,” the South American country’s foreign minister, Ivan Gil Pinto, has said.
On Monday, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed media reports that its agents had seized a Dassault Falcon 900EX Aircraft allegedly linked to the Venezuelan leader and his inner circle. Washington claimed that the aircraft “was illegally purchased for $13 million through a shell company and smuggled out of the United States,” adding that it was seized in the Dominican Republic and transferred to Florida at the US request “based on violations of… export control and sanctions laws.”
The DOJ alleged that the plane was bought through a Caribbean-based company and delivered to Venezuela in April 2023. Since then, it has been used by the Maduro government, including to transport the Venezuelan leader himself to other countries, the department claimed.
Ivan Gil denounced the move as “a repeated criminal practice that cannot be described as anything other than piracy.” The US, he added, “illegally confiscated an aircraft that has been used by the president of the republic, justifying themselves with the coercive measures that they unilaterally and illegally impose around the world.”
Maduro’s government also warned that it “reserves the right to take any legal action to repair this damage to the nation, as well as all other damages caused by the criminal policy” of Washington.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Eduardo Rodriguez joined the backlash, condemning what he called “the illegal and fraudulent confiscation” of Maduro’s plane and accusing the US of violating international law.
The US and Venezuela have long been at odds, with Washington consistently supporting regime change in the Latin American country. In 2019, the US recognized Juan Guaido, the then-head of Venezuela’s National Assembly, as the legitimate interim president of the country while backing the opposition. In August, the US also recognized Maduro’s main rival, Edmundo Gonzalez, as the winner of the presidential election.
Washington has imposed harsh economic sanctions on Venezuela in an effort to pressure the country, including prohibiting US companies from doing business with anyone associated with the Venezuelan government.
