WASHINGTON, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- The United States on Wednesday lifted sanctions on Jorge Rodriguez, president of Venezuela's National Assembly and brother of the country's acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.
The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control removed Jorge Rodriguez, 60, from its Specially Designated Nationals List without providing a reason for the decision.
The move comes as Washington and Caracas have expanded political and economic engagement following a U.S. military operation on Jan. 3, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were forcibly seized and taken to New York to face U.S. criminal charges.
Delcy Rodriguez subsequently became acting president. The United States lifted sanctions against her in April.
Jorge Rodriguez and his sister were sanctioned by the United States in September 2018 during President Donald Trump's first term, when Washington accused senior Venezuelan officials of helping consolidate Maduro's hold on power. ■
