Politics/News
Relatives of 77 Detainees in PDVSA-Obrero Case Request Substitute Measures
Lawyer Zimarú Fuentes asked in Caracas to extend the precautionary releases already granted to other defendants, citing health issues affecting four detainees and their dispersion across several states.
According to the report consulted, relatives of 77 people still held in the PDVSA-Obrero case requested on October 5, 2026, that substitute liberty measures be granted so they can face their judicial proceedings outside prison.
The request was made at a press conference in Caracas by lawyer Zimarú Fuentes, who specified that 54 detainees remain in Anzoátegui, 10 in Carabobo, nine in Falcón, one in the Capital District and three who were sentenced on October 1 in La Guaira. Fuentes noted that 76 individuals linked to the same case had already been released previously.
The lawyer called for urgent medical attention for Larry José Moya, who has serious complications, Renier Macetti, who suffered two heart attacks, as well as María Alejandra Rodríguez and Lenis Cruz.
The detentions originated in 2024 over alleged fuel smuggling at the Puerto La Cruz Refinery. Fuentes denounced procedural irregularities and a pattern similar to other political prisoner cases, and noted that the original prosecutor Jean Karín López Ruiz was removed following corruption allegations.
The consulted sources agree that the detainees include PDVSA workers, civilians, police officers and military personnel. The relatives maintain that several defendants require immediate medical attention due to chronic pathologies.
Zimarú Fuentes, the lawyer representing the families, has led the public presentation of detention conditions and requests for precautionary measures. The PDVSA-Obrero case remains active in courts across several states, with judicial proceedings continuing for the remaining 77 detainees.
