ccording to a decree released on March 17, the National Superintendency of Crypto Assets (Sunacrip) in Venezuela will undergo reorganization as announced by President Nicolás Maduro.
A new board will lead the reorganization, headed by Anabel Pereira Fernández, a lawyer who served as president of the Fondo de Garantía de Depositos y Protección Bancaria (FOGADE), the Venezuelan version of the United States Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC). Among the other directors are Héctor Andrés Obregón Pérez, Luis Alberto Pérez González, and Julio César Mora Sánchez.
The decree issued did not offer any particular explanations or details regarding the reorganization, but it mentioned that the board will strategize the crypto department's future steps. The Maduro administration has stated that the reorganization aims to safeguard the Venezuelan citizens from adverse impacts caused by economic sanctions and other reasons.
Reportedly, Joselit Ramirez, who headed the department since its establishment in 2018, has been excluded from the new board structure. On March 17, local media in Venezuela claimed that Ramirez was arrested for corruption allegations, but this information has not been confirmed by Cointelegraph as of now. Ramirez was in charge of overseeing the cryptocurrency Petro and crypto tax rules for the country.
Ramirez was added to the Most Wanted List by the U.S. in June 2020, and the Homeland Security Investigations branch of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency offered a reward of up to $5 million for any information leading to the arrest of Petro's supervisor.
According to authorities, Ramirez was believed to have significant political, social, and economic connections to suspected drug lords, such as Tareck El Aissami, the former Vice President of Venezuela.
Despite being one of the alleged co-conspirators, Ramirez's bounty was the smallest, with the U.S. government offering $15 million for the capture of the country's leader, Nicolás Maduro, and $10 million for other high-ranking officials, including El Aissami.
Source:
https://cointelegraph.com/news/venezuela-overhauls-national-crypto-department
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