“US Court Grants Forfeiture of Venezuelan State Plane Held in Argentina”

2023-05-05 20:49:00

(CNN Spanish) –– A federal judge from the District of Columbia authorized this Wednesday the seizure and transfer to the United States of the Venezuelan state plane Emtrasur held since June 2022 at the Ezeiza international airport in Argentina, according to a court ruling obtained by CNN this Friday.

Judge Randolph Moss granted all rights to the aircraft to the United States, following the Venezuelan company did not present documentation to claim it during the time granted by law, according to the court document.

In October 2022, the District Attorney for the District of Columbia had applied to the court for the forfeiture of the Boeing 747-300.

The judge in the case in Argentina, Federico Villena, told CNN on Friday that the plane was still being held and “at the disposal of justice” in the United States. He further indicated that he had not yet been notified of the ruling in the District of Columbia.

The Argentine Foreign Ministry also told CNN that until this Friday it had not yet received any documentation or official communication from the United States in relation to the case.

The Government of Venezuela has not ruled on the ruling either and CNN is trying to obtain comments through the Ministry for Communication and Information.

The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, criticized both the Argentine and the American Justice in August 2022 for the retention of the plane. In this sense, he maintained that there is no longer “respect for the sovereignty” of the countries during a speech broadcast by the state television station Venezolana de Televisión (VTV).

The Boeing 747-300 was retained in Argentina in June 2022 at the request of Washington, which alleged that its sale process had been illegal. Emtrasur bought the aircraft from the Iranian company Mahan Air, and US law requires that the purchase and sale of goods manufactured with technology in this country, such as Boeing, must be notified.

Nineteen crew members, including Iranians and Venezuelans, who arrived on board the plane were also investigated for alleged connections with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, but the Argentine Justice dismissed the case.

Agustín Milic, Osmary Hernández, and Marlon Sorto contributed to this report.

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