05.11.2024 10:10
A Turkish businessman named Taşkın Torlak has been arrested in Miami, USA, accused of helping Venezuela's state oil company evade US sanctions. The US Department of Justice announced that Taşkın Torlak, 37, was arrested in Miami while attempting to return to Turkey.
The U.S. has arrested a Turkish businessman accused of helping Venezuela evade sanctions. It was reported that Taşkın Torlak, a Turkish businessman arrested in Miami, is accused of assisting Venezuela's state oil company in circumventing U.S. sanctions.
ARRESTED WHILE RETURNING TO TURKEY
According to a statement from the Justice Department, 37-year-old Taşkın Torlak was arrested while attempting to return to Turkey. Court documents indicate that Torlak operated several companies involved in the transportation of sanctioned oil. It is alleged that starting in 2020, during a time when most Western buyers stayed away from the South American country for fear of undermining U.S. sanctions, he began working with unnamed conspirators and companies from Ukraine, China, Indonesia, and other places to transport Venezuela's crude oil.
Matthew Graves, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, stated, "This defendant is alleged to have conspired to illegally sell Venezuelan oil, using deception and fraud to conceal the fact that this oil came from Venezuela."
CHARGE: "EVADING SANCTIONS"
Graves said, "Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA has been sanctioned by the U.S. government to prevent the country from further depleting its resources as long as the current regime remains in power unlawfully." The indictment states that Torlak and unnamed co-conspirators have been involved in a complex plan to evade U.S. sanctions and ship petroleum products from Venezuela and Iran since at least November 2020.