Reported by JOSHUA GOODMAN Associated Press Writer

A federal judge in Houston has dismissed criminal charges against a Swiss banker accused of helping stash millions in bribes paid to senior Venezuelan oil officials over long delays in bringing the case to trial.

Judge Kenneth Hoyt ruled Wednesday that unjustified trial delays violated Paulo Murta’s constitutional right to a speedy trial within 70 days of being charged.

Murta was indicted in 2019 on money laundering charges as part of a sprawling multi-year investigation into corruption at Venezuela’s state-run oil company, PDVSA. He was extradited to the United States by his native Portugal after a lengthy legal fight and spent nine months in pre-trial detention before being released last year on $75,000 bond.

Murta, who worked for an unnamed Swiss company closely connected to bankers for Portugal’s Banco Espirito Santo financial empire, was accused of creating fake loans and setting up shell companies in Switzerland, Curacao and Dubai to hide proceeds from the PDVSA bribery scheme.

Read full report: https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Business/wireStory/us-judge-texas-dismisses-charges-swiss-banker-allegedly-99409643