
Oil tycoon Wilmer Ruperti showed up for a meeting with Venezuela’s intelligence agency last Thursday. A week later, he’s still in custody, one of his lawyers told Semafor.
“We’ve reached out to everybody trying to get proof of life or some support,” Winston & Strawn’s Cari Stinebower said, adding that officials still haven’t conveyed “how he’s being treated or why he’s being detained.”
Ruperti, who arrived at the meeting with a security detail, is a Venezuelan Italian shipping magnate who trades in petroleum coke. His detainment followed interim President Delcy Rodríguez’s decision to elevate the agency’s longtime chief to defense minister.
“The message is that Venezuela is open for business — but detaining businessmen for days on end without any due process or access to counsel is more old regime,” Stinebower said. “This is not law and order and not conducive of a welcoming business environment.”
The State Department and Energy Department did not respond to requests for comment.
LATEST POSTS
- 1
Must-See Public Parks from Around the Globe - 2
April's full moon decides the date of Easter — here's how it works - 3
6 Eyewear Brands Worth Purchasing - 4
Figure out How to Modify Your Pre-assembled Home for Greatest Solace and Stylish Allure - 5
Burkina Faso must 'forget' about democracy, military leader says
New York to require social media platforms to display mental health warnings
The 1 question we have to ask ourselves about the Taylor Frankie Paul 'Bachelorette' scandal
From ‘Project Hail Mary’ to Artemis II, spaceflight captures audiences when it centers on people because human space travel is hazardous
Artemis 2 astronauts — now halfway to the moon — report 'burning smell' from toilet, but everything's fine
National health ranking puts Georgia near bottom of list. Here's why
She just became the first wheelchair user to travel to space
The Golden Globes is happening Sunday: Who's nominated, who's hosting and how to watch
Watch comet C/2026 A1 plunge toward the sun online this week
The largest sun of 2026 rises today as Earth draws closest to our parent star













