Venezuela Attorney Genl Cites Eight Ex-PdVSA Execs-Paper

sg.biz.yahoo.com Tuesday February 25, 11:21 PM

CARACAS (Dow Jones)--Eight ex-executives of Venezuela's state-owned oil monopoly Petroleos de Venezuela (E.PVZ) who were involved in the strike that crippled the company's operations, have been cited by the Attorney General's office, the local daily El Universal reported Tuesday.

The eight should appear shortly at the Attorney General's office to determine their involvement in the strike and whether they should be tried for treason and sabotage, among other things.

Juan Fernandez, Horacio Medina and Edgar Quijano are among the eight that are being cited, El Universal reported. The three executives are among the main leaders of the strike, which started Dec. 2 last year and was aimed at forcing the resignation of President Hugo Chavez. About 35,000 employees at PdVSA joined a nationwide strike. It was unclear who the other five executives being cited are.

The move comes after the arrest last week of business leader Carlos Fernandez, who was one of the strike leaders of the private business sector. Fernandez was released from jail over the weekend but was under house arrest. The government also tried to hunt down Carlos Ortega, the leader of the main labor union who was also involved in the strike. A judge ordered Ortega's arrest but he has disappeared.

The strike brought Venezuela's economy to a virtual standstill and crippled production in the country's all-important oil industry. Opposition leaders staged the protests in hopes of getting Chavez to step down or hold early elections. Chavez refused to give in and vowed to crack down on strike leaders.

By Fred Pals, Dow Jones Newswires; 0058-212-5641339; fred.pals@dowjones.com.