Caracas, Oct. 5 (EFE) – Venezuela’s Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, announced on Thursday an arrest warrant for former parliament speaker and interim president Juan Guaidó, accusing him of several crimes, including money laundering.

In addition to the warrant, three designated prosecutors “will issue the corresponding Red Alert request to Interpol” Saab said in a statement to journalists.

Guaidó, who presided over Venezuela’s so-called “interim government” recognized by the United States and several other countries between January 2019 and the end of 2022, is also accused of treason, usurpation of functions, embezzlement of public funds, securities or goods, and illicit association.

“Using the figure of a fictitious government, he caused losses to the Venezuelan state,” said the prosecutor, who estimates the amount embezzled by the anti-Chavista at $19 billion.

The official cited a “ruling” by a court in the North American country, which he said indicated that the former deputy “had access to the assets of subsidiaries of the state oil company (PDVSA) in the United States and used them to finance himself.

For this reason, Saab hopes that “through international criminal cooperation, this issue will be handed over to the country”.

The Public Ministry has opened 23 investigations against Guaidó for alleged crimes committed in the “interim government” and five other cases related to a subsidiary of PDVSA in Colombia, but never spoke of an arrest warrant, until Thursday.

Although the opponent has not responded directly to these accusations, on social media he shared an article about the “defense” of Citgo, PDVSA’s subsidiary in the U.S., during his time in the interim. EFE

hp/mcd (video)