Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has once again lashed out against President Luis Abinader. This time, he blasted the Dominican President accusing him of being a bandit and a thief (“ladrón”). Maduro seems to be furious that President Luis Abinader allowed a Dessault Falcon 900EX aircraft parked at the La Isabela International Airport in Santo Domingo be seized by US authorities. Maduro had also jested he would have attended the US debate on 10 September 2024, but couldn’t because the US had “stolen” his plane.
Speaking at an event broadcast by the state-run television channel, Maduro claimed that Abinader, with the cooperation of local officials, facilitated US authorities that impounded the aircraft. Maduro warned that the Dominican people would eventually hold Abinader accountable. Maduro said that Venezuela reserves its right to take legal action to address the situation and reiterated his opposition to US sanctions.
The plane was seized by the US on Monday, 2 September 2024 at the La Isabela International Airport where it had been kept for months. According to US Attorney General Merrick Garland, the plane had been illegally exported from the US, thus violating American sanctions against Venezuela.
The aircraft was in the name of a company registered in San Marino and was seized by US authorities and taken to Florida. The aircraft was seized for its illegal purchase through a shell company and smuggling out of the United States in violation with export control and sanction laws.
A second Dessault Falcon jet with Venezuelan registration YV3360 is parked in the DR and is under investigation as one of the US Treasury-sanctioned assets belonging to Maduro.
In a press release from the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Caracas had previously accused the United States of “unlawfully seizing a plane used by the president, an act which can only be described as piracy.”
Tensions between Venezuela, the United States and now the Dominican Republic have escalated in recent weeks due to the controversial reelection of Maduro on 28 July. The US and Dominican Republic have backed the opposition that has accused the government of Venezuela of widespread election fraud.
The Dominican Republic removed its diplomatic staff and air connections were discontinued. Likewise, now the Embassy of Spain is handling matters for both countries. There are more than 120,000 Venezuelans living in the Dominican Republic, most new arrivals after the political and economic crisis in Venezuela.
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El Caribe
DR1 News
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DR1 News
11 September 2024