The US has expanded sanctions against Venezuelan citizens and companies for participating in a corruption scheme.

The US Treasury Department has sanctioned seven Venezuelans, 23 legal entities and one business jet for participating in a major corruption scheme, the says . agency's website

The list of people against whom the restrictions were introduced includes the former head of the Treasury of Venezuela, Claudia Diaz. Among the legal entities mentioned is the television company Globovision, controlled by businessman Raul Gorrin and his partner Gustavo Perdomo, who also fell under sanctions.

“People associated with the Venezuelan regime have embezzled billions of dollars amid the suffering of the people of the country. The US Treasury is imposing sanctions on the Foreign Exchange Network, which is another illegal scheme used by the Venezuelan regime to steal funds from its own people," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

Sanctions against a number of individuals and companies from Venezuela were introduced after the verdict of another former head of the treasury, Alejandro Andrade. In November 2018, he was sentenced to ten years in prison in the United States for taking bribes worth about $1 billion. Like Diaz, he was involved in a corrupt foreign exchange scheme that, according to the Treasury, brought in up to $2.4 billion in revenue annually.