CARACAS
Venezuelan authorities are examining allegations involving the business interests of the late tycoon Oswaldo Cisneros, including claims of unpaid taxes, unmet investment commitments and irregularities in the management of companies linked to his family, according to senior government officials.
The scrutiny reportedly covers a range of the family’s interests, including telecommunications, real estate and oil, rather than being limited to a single company or transaction.
The business empire is now associated with Cisneros’s widow, Mireya Blavia de Cisneros, and includes Digitel, one of Venezuela’s major telecommunications operators. Oswaldo Cisneros acquired full control of Digitel in 2006 and subsequently expanded its national network and customer base.
Officials allege that some of the family’s businesses failed to meet investment commitments over a prolonged period while continuing to generate revenues. Questions have also reportedly been raised over corporate and personal tax obligations, regulatory dealings and the administration of the family trust.
One senior official alleged that authorities were investigating whether political connections were used to influence regulatory and government decisions. The official also claimed that investigators were examining alleged financial links between members of the family and individuals associated with the former government of Nicolás Maduro.
Maduro was captured by US forces in Venezuela in January 2026 and subsequently taken to the United States, according to US authorities and international reporting.
Particular attention has reportedly been directed at the family’s oil interests. Officials cited the DP Delta arrangement with Venezuela’s state oil sector and alleged that promised investments and production targets were not achieved. These allegations, including claims about production levels and financial commitments, have not been independently established in the material available for this report.
Authorities are also examining the family’s tax position. A government official alleged that Venezuela’s tax authority, SENIAT, had placed a valuation of more than $10 billion on the estate and that the state’s claimed share exceeded $3 billion. The official alleged that the amount remained unpaid and that irregular adoptions were used to influence control of the family trust.
The allegations have reportedly become the subject of legal proceedings involving the widow and heirs. Officials also claim investigators have identified alleged payments and gifts connected to telecommunications and real-estate contracts.
A legal source representing Blavia de Cisneros acknowledged what the source described as serious management problems, insufficient investment and unmet commitments, but attributed some of the difficulties to US sanctions. The source said she would cooperate fully with authorities.
A former senior executive who worked on behalf of Blavia de Cisneros separately alleged that the businesses had been treated as a “cash cow” and that repeated warnings about underinvestment had been ignored.
