BNP Paribas agreed to plead guilty and pay a nearly $9 billion fine to U.S. authorities for violating the U.S. embargo on certain countries, while Crédit Agricole reached an agreement to pay 694 million euros to the same authorities, both reported over the past hour. BNP Paribas expressed “regret” for “past mistakes” in the agreement, according to reports. Crédit Agricole's deal with U.S. authorities, which govern global dollar transactions, aims to avoid further sanctions, the reports state. In a related Venezuela development, journalist Emma Rincon stated on X that the Chavismo regime used the release of 90 political hostages as a media operation, while 900 people remain kidnapped by the regime. Rincon emphasized Venezuelans' rejection of political prisoners and the dictatorship. These fines occur amid ongoing U.S. enforcement of sanctions linked to Venezuelan oil figures, as a jet N2FD—previously tied to ex-sanctioned Francisco D'Agostino Casado—landed in Anguilla after holding south of Puerto Rico earlier today, per prior FlightAware data and X posts.
