Caracas has accused Argentina’s leader of illegally handing over a “stolen” cargo plane to the US
Venezuela has initiated a criminal investigation against Argentine President Javier Milei for transferring a seized Venezuelan cargo plane to the United States.
The dispute between the two South American nations centers around the fate of the Emtrasur Boeing 747-300FM, which was originally acquired from Iran’s Mahan Air. In August 2022, Argentine authorities seized the aircraft at the request of the US, as Washington had previously placed Mahan Air on its export restrictions list due to sanctions against Iran.
Venezuela has consistently protested the detention of the aircraft, claiming that Argentina violated international law in doing so and demanding compensation. In March 2024, Caracas even closed its airspace to flights to and from Argentina.
Announcing the investigation on Wednesday, Venezuelan Prosecutor General Tarek Saab stated that he had appointed two prosecutors to “process” arrest warrants for Milei, his sister Karina Milei, who holds the position of president’s office head, and Argentine Security Minister Patricia Bullrich. He added that the actions of the Argentine leadership constitute seven different crimes under Venezuelan law, including “aggravated theft” and money laundering. According to Saab, “a competent court here in Venezuela” would soon issue a ruling on the warrants.
In 2024, the impounded aircraft was “illegally” transferred to the US, where it was “completely dismantled,” which “outraged the Venezuelan nation,” Saab said.
The Argentine Foreign Ministry issued a statement, “repudiating” the arrest warrants. It argued that the handover of the plane had been authorized by Argentina’s court system in accordance with a bilateral treaty with Washington. “The judiciary is an independent power, with which the government cannot and should not interfere in any way,” the statement read.
A self-described anarcho-capitalist, Milei became Argentina’s president in 2023 and has pledged to “strengthen the strategic alliance” with the US.
He recently requested the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom he has repeatedly labeled a “dictator” and accused of human rights violations. Maduro, in response, has called Milei “a right-wing extremist” and accused the Argentine leader of “kneeling to US imperialism.”