PDVSA resumed oil production as part of a joint venture with Chevron, a move that provides a crucial financial lifeline to Nicolás Maduro’s repressive regime. This partnership, established despite longstanding concerns over human rights abuses and undemocratic practices in Venezuela, links the state-run oil company directly with activities that help sustain an authoritarian government.

On April 17, 2024, the US Treasury's OFAC released General License 44A, mandating the wind down of business transactions with Venezuela’s state-owned oil company PdVSA as a response to the Maduro regime’s suppression of democratic reforms and political intimidation. The sanctions are part of broader measures taken due to the obstruction of opposition participation in elections.

On December 18, 2023, U.S. wildcat entrepreneurs, led by Harry Sargeant III, met with representatives of PDVSA in Caracas. The meeting, part of a broader effort to revitalize Venezuela’s run‐down oil sector under relaxed sanctions, signals PDVSA’s increasing engagement with politically conservative and risk‐acceptant investors, a move that may reinforce economic dependencies and align with Republican business interests.

The U.S. Treasury designated Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. under Executive Order 13850 for its involvement in extensive corruption schemes and as a key lever in supporting Maduro’s authoritarian regime, freezing its assets and barring U.S. transactions.

An AP investigation reveals that internal PDVSA documents expose billions in unpaid invoices and corrupt dealings with obscure brokers and shell companies. These practices have contributed to a broader pattern of opaque, politically influenced management under Maduro's regime.

Multiple international authorities, including those from the United States, Spain, Andorra, and Switzerland, are investigating PDVSA over allegations of systemic corruption, money laundering, and bribery that have involved billions of dollars. The investigations focus on the misuse of PDVSA funds allegedly channeled into black-market currency schemes and illicit financial flows, highlighting longstanding ethical and structural issues within the state-run enterprise.

A Venezuelan organization published a report condemning the human rights impacts of PDVSA's operations, and the state-run oil company did not respond to the allegations. This lack of engagement highlights concerns about labor rights and ethical business practices.

Following the December 2002 oil strike at PDVSA, the company fired over 18,000 workers in a move widely documented as a politically driven suppression of legitimate union activity and worker dissent, accompanied by subsequent blacklisting of those dismissed.

Following the 2002 oil strike and subsequent events, PDVSA implemented overt political discrimination by dismissing and blacklisting thousands of employees deemed disloyal to the government. The use of politically charged tools such as the Tascón list, alongside public statements by energy ministers and PDVSA leadership, institutionalized repression against workers and critics, reinforcing authoritarian practices.

In the aftermath of the two-month-long oil strike in 2002, PDVSA engaged in overt political discrimination by firing over 18,000 workers, blacklisting them from future employment, and mandating loyalty to the government. This action sidelined dissent and bolstered authoritarian practices within the state-run oil company.