TEHRAN, November 27 (MNA) – A Venezuelan judge sentenced six former oil executives of US refiner Citgo to prison on Thursday on charges of corruption.Five of the men received jail terms of 8 years and 10 months.

The interim president of Citgo at the time of his arrest, Jose Pereira, was given a 13-year 7-month term, DW reported.

The US citizens were arrested on November 21, 2017, for "treason." They were indicted with embezzling from a never-executed proposal to refinance some $4 billion (€3.4 billion) in Citgo bonds by offering a 50% stake in the company as collateral.

They denied the charges.

The office of Venezuela's chief prosecutor told the Associated Press prior to the verdict that investigators found "serious evidence" that confirmed the financial crimes that could hurt PDVSA MNA/PR