Venezuela upholds long jail sentences for US oil executives

MIAMI (AP) — A court in Venezuela has upheld long prison sentences for six American oil executives detained in the South American country on corruption charges for more than four years. Venezuela’s supreme court announced the decision late Friday. The ruling disappointed family members who had hoped the surprise decision last fall to hear the appeal signified President Nicolás Maduro’s government was looking to release the men as part of a goodwill gesture to the Biden administration. The men worked for Houston-based Citgo and were lured to Caracas in 2017 to attend a meeting at the headquarters of Citgo’s parent, state-run oil giant PDVSA. They were arrested and later they were charged with corruption in connection to a never-executed plan to refinance billions in bonds.