Colombian and Venezuelan authorities report that Maduro has regained control of the Monómeros fertilizer company

Colombia and Venezuela arrange their respective embassies and consulates 2:36 (CNN Spanish) — After a meeting this Monday between the Superintendent of Colombian Companies, Billy Escobar, and the Venezuelan Ambassador to Colombia, Félix Plasencia, the parties reported that the questioned Government of President Nicolás Maduro regained control of the petrochemical company Monómeros, located in Barranquilla, Colombia. It is a subsidiary company of Petrochemicals of Venezuela, Pequiven, which is part of the state-owned Petróleos de Venezuela, PDVSA, and is mainly dedicated to the production of fertilizers. Escobar expressed in statements to Telesur that “it means that we ratify the will of the Venezuelan Government to appoint a board of directors and that this corresponds to the legality that is handled in the Colombian State in relation to the owners of a company, who have the possibility of choose their directives and then we are making a legal acknowledgment of that situation”. The Venezuelan company that manufactures fertilizers in Colombia, Monómeros, based in Barranquilla, became during the government of Iván Duque a political focus in Venezuela with questions that deepen the divisions between the opponents of socialist president Nicolás Maduro and the doubt of renewing the tensions between Venezuela and Colombia. (Credit: Juan BARRETO/AFP) (Photo by JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images) For his part, Plasencia also stated when consulted by Telesur that “all that evil, mistaken, aggressive construction, which also affected the interests of the Venezuelan people and of the Colombian people it ends, it ends”, while adding: “A company that belongs to the people of Venezuela and returns to the people of Venezuela. It is a moment of joy, of happiness”. The diplomat also stressed that with this decision “the natural and normal course of the law, of order, of the duty to be is imposed, which means that we put an end to the interventionist, treacherous claim.” Opposition leader Juan Guaidó maintained control of the company since 2019, when Colombia, by decision of then President Iván Duque, like the United States and other countries, recognized him as president in charge of Venezuela. During his management, the Board of Directors appointed by the National Assembly of Venezuela was accused of having committed irregularities. In the midst of accountability, Guaidó referred to the case on Friday stating that “at the first irregularity, scandal, etc., that we identify, we investigate it, we directly demand the investigation, we look for those responsible, because whoever touches a penny of the República is as bad as the one that touches a million, two or three or five”. In that same act, the opposition leader denounced that they intend to finish off Monómeros. The administrative situation in Monómeros led to the initiation of an investigation by the Venezuelan Prosecutor’s Office in September 2021. Attorney General Tarek William Saab announced criminal proceedings against Guaidó for the alleged commission of various crimes related to the state-owned company Monómeros Colombo Venezolanos SA The announcement came days after it was learned on September 6, 2021 that the Superintendence of Companies of Colombia put the Monómeros company under control due to its financial situation. At the time, Guaidó had claimed on Twitter that the accusation was false and fabricated.