The government of Venezuela issued an arrest warrant against Juan Guaidórequested his capture from the International Police (Interpol) and accused him of “treason” and other crimes. It is due to alleged embezzlement in the US subsidiary of PDVSA, Citgo Petroleum. The opposition leader has been in the United States since April, after his surprise arrival and departure from Bogotá.
“The arrest warrant will be requested for the crimes of treason; usurpation of functions; profit or diversion of money, securities or public property; money laundering, and association” illegal, stated the attorney general Tarek Saab.
The official indicated in a press conference that the Public Ministry initiated “a total of 23 investigations” penalties “for all the irregular acts carried out by that criminal organization called the interim government,” according to the Caracas newspaper El Universal.
Saab thus alluded to the “interim government” that he presided over Guaidó and that operated from January 2019 by decision of the National Assembly (AN, parliament), which then had a large opposition majority.
That AN made that resolution after the opposition did not recognize the new mandate initiated a few days before by President Nicolás Maduro, considering that it had arisen from irregular elections.
The accusation against Juan Guaidó
He “interim government” It had the support of 60 countries and continued to act even after the AN changed its composition in 2021 and recovered the Chavista majority, until its dissolution was announced at the end of last year.
Although it never had real decision-making power within Venezuela, that parallel government did have access to the Venezuelan asset management in countries that supported it, especially in Colombia and the United States.
This led to a scandal that paralyzed Monómeros, a petrochemical company based in Colombia, and the indebtedness and embargo of Citgo, one of the largest oil companies in the United States.
Both Monómeros and Citgo belong to the Venezuelan state, through the petrochemical company Pequiven and the oil company PDVSA, respectively.
Saab maintained that the actions of the “interim government” in these companies caused the country approximately $20 billion in damage and “has resulted in the almost definitive loss of Citgo.”
Juan Guaido
International arrest warrant against Guaidó
The prosecutor added that in the context of the ongoing investigations “288 arrest warrants have been issued, 129 people have been arrested and have already been charged, and there are 13 people with an extradition request.”
Furthermore, “63 people have been convicted, 137 raids have been carried out, 149 seizures have been made and 261 real measures have been issued,” he added.
Shortly after the “interim government” was dissolved, Guaidó left Venezuela and took refuge in Colombia, but President Gustavo Petro immediately expelled him from this country and he settled in Miami, United States.
Source: Ambito
