Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has announced the reorganization of the National Superintendency of Crypto Assets, known as Sunacrip in Spanish, according to a decree published on March 17.
The 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), Venezuela’s 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.
Without giving further details or specific reasons for the reorganization, the decree said that the board will plan the next steps for the crypto department. Maduro’s government says the move is intended to protect its citizens from the negative effects of economic sanctions, among other reasons.
Below we publish the Extraordinary Official Gazette in which the Sunacrip Restructuring Board is created. https://t.co/au7uiaU7LB
— Asonacrip (National Association of Cryptocurrencies) (@AsonacripVe) March 18, 2023
The new council structure leaves Joselit Ramirez, who led the department since its inception in 2018. Ramirez was reportedly arrested on March 17 on corruption charges, according to local Venezuelan media. At the time of writing, Cointelegraph has not been able to confirm this information. Ramirez oversees Petro state’s crypto and cryptocurrency tax rules.
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In June 2020, the US added Ramirez to its Most Wanted List. The Homeland Security Investigations Branch of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is offering a reward of up to $5 million for any information leading to the arrest of the Petro supervisor.
At the time, authorities said Ramirez had “deep political, social and economic ties” to alleged drug lords, including Tareck El Aissami, the former vice president of Venezuela.
Ramirez’s bounty is the smallest among the alleged conspirators, with the US government offering $15 million to capture head of state Nicolás Maduro. Several other high-ranking officials, including El Aissami, face a $10 million reward.