Caracas [Venenzuela], October 6 : Venezuelan authorities have issued an arrest warrant for former opposition leader Juan Guaido, as announced by the country's Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, CNN reported.
During a press conference in Caracas, Saab alleged that Guaido had used resources from the state-owned oil company, PDVSA, to fund his personal expenses and legal fees, resulting in losses of USD19 billion for the nation and a near-definitive loss of Citgo.
"Juan Guaido used PDVSA resources to finance himself, pay his legal expenses, and forced PDVSA to accept his financing terms. These decisions caused losses to the nation of $19 billion, resulting in the almost definitive loss of Citgo," CNN quoted Saab as saying.
As a consequence, a new investigation has been initiated against Guaido, and an arrest warrant has been requested.
"For this reason, we have opened a new investigation against former deputy Juan Guaido, and we have requested an arrest warrant against him," he added, as reported by CNN.
Guaido served as the interim president of Venezuela's transitional government from 2019 until late 2022 when he was removed from his leadership position after facing challenges in confronting the authoritarian regime of Nicolas Maduro. Guaido sought refuge in Miami over security issues, where he has resided since April 25.
Saab indicated that Venezuela will seek a red notice from Interpol for Guaido's arrest. The arrest warrant encompasses alleged crimes including treason, usurpation of functions, profit or embezzlement of funds, securities, and public assets, money laundering, and association.
The Attorney General also disclosed that there are currently at least 28 ongoing investigations against Guaido in Venezuela, covering a range of alleged offenses, including usurpation of functions, money laundering, terrorism, arms trafficking, and treason.
"Those who at some point believed in this guy and went out to march; they see that they found it to be a vulgar criminal of the worst caliber, robbing and kidnapping," the Attorney General said.
In response to these allegations, Guaido, in a live transmission on his Instagram account, vehemently denied the accusations and challenged President Maduro to face justice. He proposed meeting at a prosecutor's office in the United States or another jurisdiction, or even at The Hague, to address the allegations against both of them.
Regarding the timing of the arrest warrant, Guaido questioned why it was issued at this moment.
"The question is, why now? Why did the dictatorship not do it before?" he said of the arrest warrant. "So no, Maduro, I did not allow you to kidnap me, I will not allow you to take away my voice, and I will continue to denounce you in all places where possible, as a criminal."
Venezuela is scheduled to hold a presidential election in 2024, although concerns have been raised about the possibility of free and fair elections in the country's repressive political climate. Guaido called on his supporters to participate in the upcoming opposition primary election on October 22, emphasizing the need to mobilise against Nicolas Maduro, who he claimed was holding the vote hostage, as reported by CNN.
The United States, which had previously been a staunch supporter of Guaido, has adopted a somewhat more tempered stance toward Caracas due to challenges related to rising energy costs and the influx of Venezuelan migrants.
On Thursday, senior officials in the Biden administration announced a policy shift, stating that the US would resume deporting Venezuelans directly to Venezuela in an effort to address the surging numbers of border crossings between the US and Mexico.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken characterised this policy change as a crucial component of the administration's migration strategy, CNN reported.
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