Venezuela issues prison warrant for businessman Xabier de Irala

The former president of the Spanish flag carrier Iberia is charged with 'fraudulent bankruptcy' of the Venezuelan airline Viasa. In 1991, Iberia purchased 45 of Viasa, which went bankrupt in 1997. Former president of Iberia Xabier de Irala. Photo: EiTBA Venezuelan court issued on Thursday a prison warrant for Xavier De Irala Estevez, former president of the Spanish flag carrier Iberia and presumed responsible for the 'fraudulent bankruptcy' of the Venezuelan airline Internacional de Aviación SA (Viasa). The judge's decision follows a request by the Venezuelan Public Prosecutor's Office accusing the Basque businessman of a 'presumed crime of fraudulent bankruptcy'.