Alejandro Betancourt, the controversial Venezuelan oil tycoon Trump is banking on

Just a couple of months ago, Alejandro Betancourt couldn't leave his luxury London residences without risking extradition to Switzerland due to being wanted in connection with a case of embezzlement and money laundering. But now the Venezuelan millionaire is poised to become a key figure in “the biggest oil deal in world history”, according to US President Donald Trump. Read moreTrump announces 'historic' agreement for US stake in Venezuela oil reserves Trump’s 'viceroy' in Venezuela? It is very difficult to get a clear picture of the deal between Washington and Caracas announced by Trump on Friday because there is "no publicly available text of any agreement so far", said Tom Long, a Latin America specialist at the University of Warwick. He added that the "Venezuelan government is being very careful not to publicly contradict the very expansive but probably incorrect claims that begin on social media". But what we know about the deal seems ambitious because it grants the US the right to exploit “nearly 20 percent of Venezuela’s proven reserves – that is 17 oil fields where production is supposed to be increased”, explained Thomas Posado, a Venezuela specialist at the University of...