Venezuela has revoked Turkish businessman Turhan Mildon’s contract to run the country’s state-owned cement plants, The New York Times reported on Monday. The decision followed an audit ordered by interim leader Delcy Rodríguez and cited Mildon’s failure to meet investment targets.
Through his company Vencement, Mildon said he reached a profit-sharing agreement with the Venezuelan government in 2025 to revive 10 cement factories that had been taken over by the state in the early 2000s.
Price dispute and scrutiny
In June, National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, Delcy Rodríguez’s brother, said he would summon Turkish-linked cement companies over the price of cement bags. Mildon blamed resale markups, saying the government itself set the prices charged by producers.
Mildon’s business dealings in Venezuela and Congo have drawn growing scrutiny, Forbes reported, and he has broadly denied any wrongdoing. No public response from Mildon to the revocation has been reported.
Delcy Rodríguez became Venezuela’s interim leader after Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. forces in January. Mildon recently married Alina Habba, President Donald Trump’s former lawyer.
Update: termination reportedly suspended
The New York Times later reported, citing two people close to Delcy Rodríguez, that she suspended the termination after learning of Mildon’s relationship with Alina Habba, allowing him to keep earning from the cement plants. Mildon’s spokesperson said the company only learned of the termination on Oct. 8, when the Times began asking questions, and considers it a mistake.
