Venezuela Issues Arrest Warrants for Leaders of Opposition Parliament
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CARACAS (Sputnik) – The Venezuelan Prosecutor General’s Office issued arrest warrants for former lawmakers, members of the presidium of the 2015 National Assembly, which operates in parallel with the country’s official parliament, Attorney General Tarek William Saab said on Monday. “We have issued arrest warrants for former lawmakers Dinorah Figuera, Marianela Fernandez and Auristela Vasquez, who claim to be in the leadership of the National Assembly, whose term expired in 2020 … In addition, arrest warrants were issued today for the alleged secretary of this illegal assembly, Jose Figueredo Marquez and his so-called deputy, Luis Alberto Bustos,” Saab said at a news conference in Caracas. The three former lawmakers, whose arrest is being sought by the prosecutor’s office, live in Spain and the United States, the official said, adding that due to this fact they were put on the international wanted list. Last week, Venezuela’s opposition-controlled National Assembly replaced Juan Guaido as its head, a week after ousting the nation’s US-backed “interim president” and dissolving his government. The legislature, which was elected in 2015 and stayed on after a new chamber was created, announced the appointment of Figuera as president and Fernandez and Vasquez as vice-presidents for the 2023-2024 legislative period. 
AmericasVenezuelan Embassy in US Ceases Operations After Guaido’s ‘Interim Government’ Dissolved6 January, 22:24 GMTWashington and its allies recognized Guaido as the de-facto leader of Venezuela in 2019, handing him control over the oil-rich South American country’s foreign assets. According to Saab, since Guaido became the self-proclaimed president in 2019, state prosecutors initiated 22 investigations into money laundering, terrorism, arms trafficking and treason, as well as five criminal cases of violations against the Colombian-based petrochemical company Monomeros, which also came under the control of the Venezuelan opposition.