U.S. lifts sanctions on Venezuela’s Delcy Rodríguez

The United States has lifted sanctions on Delcy Rodriguez, the woman Washington now recognizes as Venezuela’s legitimate authority after the capture of Nicolas Maduro, according to the Treasury Department.

An update posted by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control showed Rodriguez had been removed from the Specially Designated Nationals list. The entry also removed a second listing under a variation of her name.

The sanctions relief is the latest sign of U.S. backing for Rodriguez since the U.S. military captured Maduro and his wife on Jan. 3 in Caracas, according to the Associated Press. It allows Rodriguez to work more freely with U.S. companies and investors.

Rodríguez and her brother Jorge Rodríguez, along with other members of Maduro’s inner circle, were added to the Treasury sanctions list in September 2018, months after Maduro claimed re-election in a vote widely viewed as illegitimate because opposition politicians and parties were barred from participating, according to AP.

“We value President Donald Trump’s decision as a step in the direction of normalizing and strengthening relations between our countries,” Rodríguez said in a statement. She said she hoped it would lead to the lifting of the remaining sanctions on Venezuela and help build an effective bilateral agenda “for the benefit of our peoples.”