Another aircraft with suspected ties to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s regime has reportedly been under military custody for several months now at the La Isabela International Airport in northern Santo Domingo, several media are reporting. The aircraft is a Falcon 900EX, registered as YV 3360, which has been kept in a secured hangar and monitored 24/7 by military personnel. The YV aircraft code is for aircraft registered in Venezuela.
The plane landed reportedly for maintenance but has remained in place due to an ongoing investigation. As reported, the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) is aware of the situation but has not yet provided additional details about the investigation’s progress.
Meanwhile, in Venezuela, the Maduro government announced on Monday, 2 September 2024 that it reserves the right to take legal action to “repair” the damage caused by the seizure of President Nicolás Maduro’s official aircraft. The statement would be acknowledging ownership of the Dassault Falcon 900EX jet that was confiscated in the Dominican Republic under a directive from US authorities as part of the sanctions imposed on Caracas. The jet with a registration in the tax haven of San Marino in Europe was taken into custody by the US Department of Justice on 2 September 2024.
In a statement, the Maduro government in Venezuela condemned what it described as a “recurrent criminal practice” by US authorities, calling the action nothing short of “piracy.” The statement criticized the illegal seizure of the aircraft, which has been used by the Venezuelan president.
Venezuela ordered a shut down to commercial air traffic from the Dominican Republic after the Dominican government sided with the opposition sectors in Venezuela that claim they won the Venezuelan election on 28 July 2024. The electoral authorities in Venezuela proclaimed that Maduro will continue as President.
Covering the story, Diario Libre reports that in the Dominican Republic, the justice department is mute as to which were the Dominican legal rulings whereby the first plane was confiscated and placed in the custody of the US Department of Justice. Likewise, an editorial in the newspaper published on 4 September 2024 highlights that the authorities of neither the US nor DR have named the company that is reportedly the owner of the aircraft taken into custody by the US Department of Justice.
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Diario Libre
Diario Libre
Diario Libre
Diario Libre
Noticias SIN
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Listin Diario
El Dia
CNN
4 September 2024