2 American oil execs jailed in Venezuela put on home arrest

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Two American oil executives jailed in Venezuela have been released and granted house arrest in the South American nation, former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said late Thursday.

The two are among six Citgo executives detained more than two years ago while on a business trip to Caracas, Richardson said. The former governor recently visited Caracas and met with President Nicolás Maduro to press for their release.

“This is a positive and important first step,” Richardson said in a statement, adding his gratitude to Maduro for remaining engaged in the dialogue started earlier this month in a personal meeting.

The two men released to house arrest are Gustavo Cárdenas and Jorge Toledo, the governor said.

Maduro’s government didn't immediately comment on the men’s release, and members of Cárdenas family said they hadn’t spoken with him to confirm the news.

The six men were called to Caracas just before Thanksgiving in 2017 for a meeting at the headquarters of Citgo’s parent, Venezuela's state-run oil giant PDVSA. They were hauled away from a meeting by masked security agents.

Venezuelan authorities accuse the men of corruption stemming from an alleged plan to refinance some $4 billion in Citgo bonds by offering a 50% stake in the company as collateral. Prosecutors accuse the men of maneuvering to personally benefit from the proposed deal.

All of the six men had been released to house arrest late last year before being taken back into custody two months later.

Officials in June released a video of the men in jail after relatives appealed for international help in securing their release over fears about the men’s health amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Richardson, who heads a center that works to free jailed U.S. citizens around...