Then Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez speaks during a commemoration of the 34th anniversary of the failed 1992 coup attempt, also known as ‘Day of National Dignity,’ in Caracas, Venezuela, in February. He is now an agriculture official, but wanted by the United States. File Photo by Miguel Gutirrez/EPA
April 14 (UPI) — Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, appointed former Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López as the head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, while the United States maintains a $15 million reward for his capture.
The 62-year-old military officer, who holds the rank of general-in-chief, is one of the figures closest to the late President Hugo Chávez and to arrested President Nicolas Maduro.
Rodríguez announced the appointment through her Telegram channel and on X on Monday night, where she said Padrino López “assumes the commitment to boost agricultural production to guarantee national supply and contribute to the country’s new diversified economic model.
The return of Padrino López to the Cabinet comes just 26 days after his removal as defense minister, a position he held for more than 11 years.
On March 18, Rodríguez removed him from that role and appointed Gen. Gustavo González López in his place, two months after the U.S. operation that captured Maduro in Caracas.
During his tenure leading the armed forces, human rights organizations identified him as one of the faces of repression in the country. After leaving office, Padrino López acknowledged that he made “difficult decisions” with “inevitable consequences” and said his objective was “to avoid a war.”
His legal situation adds a controversial element to the appointment. The U.S. Department of Justice included him on its list of wanted individuals and is offering $15 million for information leading to his arrest on alleged drug trafficking charges.
Washington continues to maintain the reward for his capture while coordinating with the same government that has now incorporated him into the Cabinet.
The charges were filed in May 2019 by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., accusing him of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine on aircraft registered in the United States.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, the investigation began in June 2014, when Padrino assumed the role of Defense minister, and links him to facilitating drug trafficking through Venezuelan airspace.
His appointment as agriculture minister is part of a broader Cabinet reshuffle led by Rodríguez since her swearing-in.
Since January, she has carried out around 15 ministerial changes and dozens of moves within the upper ranks of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces, including the removal of Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman, former U.S. convict and close ally of Maduro, from the Ministry of Industries — a move interpreted as a signal of openness toward Washington.
At the same time, the Venezuelan government has moved forward with a diplomatic recalibration with the United States.
Rodríguez has described former President Donald Trump as a “partner and friend” and has received in Caracas Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in visits that marked an unprecedented rapprochement.
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