In a March 17 proclamation, President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela announced the reform of the National Superintendency of Crypto Assets, known in Spanish as Sunacrip.
A new board will oversee the reform, led by Anabel Pereira Fernández, an attorney who formerly served as president of the Fondo de Garanta de Depósitos y Protección Bancaria (FOGADE), the Venezuelan equivalent of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC).
Among the other directors are Héctor Andrés Obregón Pérez, Luis Alberto Pérez González, and Julio César Mora Sánchez.
The resolution states that the board will determine the future steps for the crypto section without elaborating on the restructuring or offering specific explanations.
The government of Nicolas Maduro that the action is meant, among other things, to shield civilians from the ill impacts of economic sanctions.
The new board structure excludes Joselit Ramirez, the department’s leader since its start in 2018. Accusations of corruption led to Ramirez’s arrest on March 17, according to Venezuelan media. Ramirez was in charge of crypto tax regulations and the Petro cryptocurrency.
The United States put Ramirez on its Most Wanted List in June 2020. The Homeland Security Investigations division of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to Petro’s apprehension.
At the time, officials stated that Ramirez had “deep political, social, and economic links” to reputed drug lords, including former Venezuelan Vice President Tareck El Aissami.
Among the suspected conspirators, Ramirez had the lowest reward, with the U.S. government offering $15 million for the arrest of Nicolás Maduro. El Aissami and many other high-ranking officials are subject to $10 million rewards.
