Venezuela arrested two Chevron Corp employees, the US oil major said on Tuesday, in what appeared to be the first arrests of a foreign oil company's direct employees during a purge of alleged graft in the Opec nation. Venezuelan intelligence agents arrested the two Venezuelan executives at the Petropiar joint venture in the coastal city of Puerto La Cruz on Monday for alleged wrongdoing, two sources in the oil industry told Reuters. One of the detainees, Carlos Luis Algarra, is a refining expert whom Chevron had drafted in from its Argentina operations, a third source said.
Chevron confirmed the detentions in an emailed statement to Reuters on Tuesday. "Chevron Global Technology Services Company is aware that two of its Venezuelan-based employees have been arrested by local authorities on April 16th, 2018. We have contacted the local authorities to understand the basis of the detention and to ensure the safety and wellbeing of these employees. Our legal team is evaluating the situation and working towards the timely release of these employees," the company said.
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