50th Control Court orders detention of seven PDVSA strike leaders

www.vheadline.com Posted: Thursday, February 27, 2003 By: Robert Rudnicki

The 50th Control Court has ordered the arrest of seven ex-Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) managers following an application for their detention by the Attorney General's office. Public prosecutors Jose Benigno Rojas and Gledys Carpio formally requested the detention of Juan Fernandez, Horacio Medina, Lino Carillo, Mireya Rinfanti, Gonzalo Feijoo, Edgar Quijano and Juan Luis Santana. 

The arrest orders come several days after the Attorney General's Office announced that it was planning to assess whether or not sufficient grounds exist to have the oil strike leaders arrested for treason and the damage they helped inflict on the nation's petroleum industry. 

The group's lawyer, Juan Martin Echeverria insists they are being persecuted by the government and that the actions are politically motivated with no legal basis.