Two former Citgo oil executives jailed in Venezuela have sued their former employer for over $400 million.
Alirio and Jose Luis Zambrano claim Citgo conspired to lure them to Venezuela under pretenses.
They say the company abandoned them to suffer in harsh prison conditions for crimes they did not commit.
In November 2017, the Zambrano brothers and four other Citgo executives traveled to Venezuela.
They attended a meeting at the headquarters of PDVSA, Citgo’s parent company.
Upon arrival, they were arrested by masked security agents in a Caracas conference room.
A Venezuelan judge later convicted the so-called Citgo 6 to prison terms ranging from eight to 13 years.
It followed a trial criticized by the US State Department for its delays and irregularities.
The charges centered on an unexecuted debt financing deal.
This allegedly risked the seizure of the Houston-based company by Wall Street creditors.
The lawsuit, filed in a Houston state district court, claims Citgo’s top executives ordered the men to attend the meeting, aware of the high risk of their arrest.
It claims Citgo and PDVSA officials, all influential figures in President Nicolas Maduro’s government, provided confidential financial documents to military intelligence that facilitated the arrests.
The lawsuit states: “Citgo knowingly and substantially assisted with and participated in their unlawful arrest.”
It further alleges Citgo knew the Zambranos were innocent from the outset.
However, it claims the firm abandoned their families, ignoring pleas for financial support to mount a defense.
Even after a US-backed opposition board took control of Citgo, replacing Maduro’s influence with National Assembly President Juan Guaido, the situation for the Zambranos did not improve.
Need Career Advice? Get employment skills advice at all levels of your career
Repeated appeals for help went unanswered.
These included a handwritten letter from prison requesting the release of documents to prove their innocence.
Lawsuit: “Citgo knowingly and substantially assisted with and participated in their unlawful arrest”
A similar lawsuit was filed last year by Tomeu Vadell, another member of the Citgo 6.
Citgo has not commented on the latest lawsuit but has previously labeled Vadell’s claims as “entirely meritless.”
Randy Sorrels, the Zambranos’ attorney, said: “Citgo’s inaction knowing that these men were innocent and falsely accused speaks volumes.”
The Zambranos, Venezuelan-born American citizens, were freed in 2022 as part of a prisoner swap involving two nephews of Maduro’s wife, who had been imprisoned in the US on drug charges.
