Dominican Government: Justice was the one that authorized the delivery of Maduro’s plane to the US

The Dominican Republic government said Monday that the handover to the United States authorities of Nicolás Maduro’s official plane, which had been in the country since last May for maintenance, was authorized following two orders from the Dominican courts.

Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez said the government did not intervene in the process and was simply complying with what was ordered by the country’s courts, while assuring that the aircraft was not in the name of Maduro or the Venezuelan government, but rather that of a private company.

Álvarez, who spoke at the Monday press conference offered by Dominican President Luis Abinader, explained that the Public Ministry received a request for international legal cooperation to immobilize the plane from the United States Department of Justice, given that agency’s investigations into whether the aircraft was the result of fraud, goods smuggling and money laundering activities.

“The aircraft has been in the country since May for maintenance purposes, as there are good quality services in the country,” the minister said.

In response to questions from the media during the press conference, Alvarez explained that on May 22, an order was received from a competent Dominican court authorizing the immobilization of the aircraft and “today, September 2, another legal order was received authorizing the delivery to the United States, and the Public Ministry handed it over.”

The diplomat reiterated that it was the courts that verified the merits of the confiscation of the aircraft, in response to requests to that effect from the Dominican Public Prosecutor’s Office.

“The information on this matter must be provided by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Public Prosecutor’s Office is autonomous and the central government has no opinion on this matter. We (the government) learned of this request when we received the formal note,” said the foreign minister.

The United States said Monday that Maduro’s official plane had been seized in the Dominican Republic over violations of sanctions against Venezuela.

In a statement, the US government confirmed the news previously leaked by CNN and announced the seizure of a Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft owned by Nicolás Maduro and people affiliated with him in Venezuela, which was operated in his name.

The aircraft was seized in the Dominican Republic with the assistance of the country’s authorities and transferred to Florida (USA) for having been “illegally purchased” for 13 million dollars “through a shell company and smuggled out of the United States for use by Nicolás Maduro and his cronies,” denounced the attorney general, Merrick B. Garland.

The Venezuelan government, which called the seizure “piracy,” announced on Monday 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 the United States.

According to Caracas, “this is not an isolated action” but rather “part of an escalation of actions against the Government” following the elections of July 28, the official result of which gave victory to Maduro, which has not been recognized by many countries, since the majority opposition denounces fraud and claims victory.

Dominican Republic / EFE