Exclusive: Venezuela's self-declared president Guaido to nominate own Citgo board - sources
Reuters) - Advisers to Venezuela's self-declared president Juan Guaido have proposed he appoint six executives to a transitional board for U.S. refiner Citgo Petroleum Corp, Venezuela's most important foreign asset, four people close to the talks said.
The congress chief wants to secure control of the U.S. subsidiary of Venezuelan state-run energy firm PDVSA as he seeks to assemble an interim government. Controlling Citgo and other assets outside Venezuela, especially those that generate revenue, would provide him with much-needed funds.
PDVSA, Citgo and Venezuela's oil ministry did not respond to requests for comments.
Guaido invoked a constitutional provision to assume the presidency three weeks ago, arguing that the re-election last year of President Nicolas Maduro was a sham. Most Western countries, including the United States, have recognized Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate head of state, but Maduro retains control of state institutions.
The proposed board would be composed of Venezuelans Luisa Palacios, Angel Olmeta, Luis Urdaneta and Edgar Rincon, all of whom are currently living in the United States, plus two American Citgo employees. They would be assigned specific tasks by Guaido's team to secure operational and financial control while resolving internal disputes, said the people, who were not authorized to speak publicly.
Guaido's advisers have been recruiting from a wide range of Venezuelan energy executives in recent weeks, the people said. Some have declined to join his proposed board.
Palacios, who holds a doctorate from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, has been head of emerging markets and Latin American research at consultancy Medley Global Advisors. She did not respond to a request for comment.
Olmeta and Urdaneta were top executives at PDVSA and Citgo, and Rincon worked as senior vice president of operations at energy firm Nabors Industries Ltd, according to their LinkedIn profiles. They could not immediately be reached for comment.
Two top American executives currently working for Citgo, Vice President of Refining, Art Klein, and chief strategy officer, Rick Esser, also would join the board, the people said. They did not respond to requests for comment.
Maduro calls Guaido's claim to the presidency an attempted U.S.-backed coup and promised he will not allow Citgo to be "stolen."
"We have protected the nation's assets and that is hurting them," Guaido said in a speech on Tuesday, in reference to Maduro's government.
Citgo's U.S. headquarters have been torn into factions by the political battle. PDVSA last week sought to remove U.S. citizens from its board and huddled over a legal strategy to block the expected appointments. Some Venezuelan executives have been recalled to Caracas, others dismissed, and some Maduro loyalists suddenly reappeared, people familiar with the company's operations said.
rest at link
https://www.marketscreener.com/news/Exclusive-Venezuela-s-self-declared-president-Guaido-to-nominate-own-Citgo-board-sources–28000804/?countview=0
if POTUS/KANSAS pull this off without 'active' boots on the ground then GEOTUS'