- Federal Probe Links St. Vincent to Maduro’s Falcon 900EX Aircraft
- Investigation Reveals Possible Violations of US Sanctions in Maduro’s Aircraft Sale
The US Federal authorities’ investigation into the seizure of President Nicolás Maduro’s Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft has linked St. Vincent’s (SVG) name to the ongoing investigation.
US authorities have documented the plane’s previous visits to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Cuba, and Brazil, often with Maduro on board.
The plane’s registration in the United States was cancelled in January 2023, according to public records from the Federal Aviation Administration, because it was exported to St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Records from the FAA show that a Florida-based company sold it to a limited liability company in SVG, but the St. Vincent and the Grenadines company registry records do not appear to have a company by that name.
Records also indicate a swift export of the plane to San Marino.
The sale of the plane via a third country could involve a violation of American sanctions on Venezuela. US officials say.
It is unclear whether the St. Vincent government was aware of the plane sale.
The Justice Department said that earlier this year, the U.S. government seized a Boeing cargo plane in the Miami area that a sanctioned Iranian airline had sold to a Venezuelan company in violation of federal export control laws.
Since targeting the Venezuelan government, Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Attorney’s Office have seized more than a half-billion dollars in bank accounts—along with luxury real estate properties, show horses, high-end watches, expensive cars, and a superyacht.
The Justice Department said the assets belonged to dozens of top Venezuelan government officials and business people who committed bribery and currency schemes involving the state-owned oil company, PDVSA, according to federal authorities.
