Former Venezuelan oil minister arrested in corruption probe

Tareck El Aissami was expected to appear in court on Tuesday (Matias Delacroix/AP)

Venezuela’s once powerful oil minister, who resigned unexpectedly last year, has been arrested in connection with an alleged scheme that siphoned hundreds of millions of dollars from state coffers, the government has said.

The Ministry of Communications released images of Tareck El Aissami being handcuffed and walking down a hallway flanked by officers.