In an act described by Venezuela’s administration as criminal piracy, US authorities have illegally seized an aircraft of the Venezuelan government fleet. In a press release issued by the US Justice department, US authorities claim that an aircraft, a Dassault Falcon 900EX with registration number T7-ESPERT, had been purchased from an American company by a Caribbean based company and transported through the Caribbean and into Venezuela for use by the government, thus violating US sanctions against Venezuela. The Venezuelan aircraft had arrived in the Dominican Republic in March for routine maintenance.
The Dassault Falcon 900EX is a long range business jet with a range of 4,500 nautical miles. It is equipped with three Honeywell TFE731-60 engines that give it considerable power, reaching a cruising speed of 950 kilometers per hour and a maximum altitude of 15,500 meters. The craft’s cabin can seat between 8 and 19 passengers. It is ideal for transoceanic and transcontinental trips. The aircraft had been used by Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez for national and international work assignments.
This is not the first Venezuelan aircraft to be seized by US officials. In February of this year, the United States seized a Boeing 747-300, a Venezuelan cargo plane that had been grounded in June 2022 by Argentina at the behest of Washington, which accused it of serving for covert operations by Venezuelan and Iranian agents throughout Latin America. US authorities have also seized several private jets belonging to senior Venezuelan officials who have been sanctioned or charged in the United States.
The Dominican government is walking hand in hand with the directives of Washington. The president of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, is himself a member of the ultra-wealthy global elite having been valued at US$70million by a public declaration of assets filed in 2020. Abinader’s 2020 presidential inauguration was attended by former CIA director Mike Pompeo who was Secretary of State at that time.
Below is the full unofficial translation of the Venezuelan statement:
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela denounces, before the international community, that once again, the authorities of the United States of America, in a repeated criminal practice that cannot be described as anything other than piracy, have illegally confiscated an aircraft that has been used by the President of the Republic, justifying themselves with the coercive measures that they unilaterally and illegally impose around the world.
This action reveals that no state and no constitutional government is safe from illegal actions that disregard international law. The United States has already demonstrated that it uses its economic and military power to intimidate and pressure states such as the Dominican Republic to act as accomplices in its criminal acts. This is an example of the supposed “rules-based order,” which, disregarding international law, seeks to establish the law of the strongest, create norms that fit its interests, and execute them with total impunity.
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela reserves the right to take any legal action to repair this damage to the nation, as well as all other damages caused by the criminal policy of unilateral coercive measures. Venezuela warns that this is not an isolated action. On the contrary, it is part of an escalation of actions against the Bolivarian Government of Venezuela, re-elected by the will of the majority of the Venezuelan people on July 28, and which, faithful to its anti-imperialist and anti-colonialist tradition, will not allow itself to be pressured by any aggression. Venezuela should be respected and continues to firmly defend its dignity and sovereignty.
Caracas, September 2, 2024
