Venezuela detains oil company official in corruption case

CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuelan officials say they’ve arrested a senior manager at the state oil company on corruption charges at a moment when the oil-rich country is struggling with fuel shortages.

The chief prosecutor’s office says on its webpage Wednesday that international commerce manager Marco Antonio Malave is accused of conspiring with Petroleos de Venezuela’s contractors importing supplies for the domestic market.

It says the 47-year-old official was arrested on March 23. That was a day on which gasoline shortages had caused long lines at gasoline stations in the capital and much of the rest of the country.

Critics say the country’s stumbling economy is rife with corruption, much of it centred on the vast, government-controlled oil industry.

Four other company employees were arrested last month for alleged irregularities.