A judge in Andorra has charged 29 Venezuelans with corruption – among them two former Deputy Ministers.

According to a report by the BBC online, prosecutors allege that they were part of a network of corrupt officials who received $2.3bn in bribes from companies in return for lucrative contracts with Venezuela’s state-run oil company, PDVSA.

The report states that the accused allegedly hid the money in the Banca Privada D’andorra (BPA) Bank.

Andorra is a tiny financial haven located between France and Spain.

The judge also charged the Venezuelans with taking kickbacks of up to 15% to facilitate contracts with PDVSA.

According to the BBC online the list of those charged includes Diego Salazar, who is the cousin of former Oil Minister Rafael Ramírez, as well as two men who served as Deputy Energy Ministers in the government of Hugo Chávez.

There has been no comment so far from those charged.