- Venezuela’s AG orders arrest of opposition members, accuses them of plotting against referendum
Venezuela’s top prosecutor on Wednesday ordered the arrest of a dozen opposition members, including former National Assembly leader Juan Guaidó and three campaign staffers of presidential candidate Maria Corina Machado.
Attorney General Tarek William Saab accused them of conspiring against the referendum the government held Sunday to claim sovereignty over a large swath of neighboring Guyana that Venezuela has long argued was stolen when the border was drawn more than a century ago.
Saab did not present any evidence during the nationally televised announcement of treason, conspiracy and other charges against the 12 government adversaries, only three of whom now live in Venezuela. He also linked to the case Savoi Jadon Wright, a U.S. citizen arrested Oct. 24 during a visit to Venezuela.
Saab alleged the opposition members worked together to affect the outcome of the referendum. He accused Wright of using cryptocurrencies and cash to “avoid financial controls and mask the origin and destination of the funds used” in the purported conspiracy.
The announcement came as the government continued to defend the turnout figure it reported after Sunday’s vote. The government said about 10.5 million people — just over half of eligible voters — cast ballots, but that figure defied what people witnessed at voting centers, where long lines typical of Venezuelan elections never formed.
President Nicolas Maduro’s government held the referendum to supposedly allow Venezuelans to decide the future of the oil- and mineral-rich Essequibo region of Guyana.
Maduro’s government promoted the five-question referendum for weeks as a unifying act of patriotism, including theater performances and reggaeton music. Venezuelan voters were asked whether to support establishing a state in Essequibo, grant citizenship to its residents and reject the jurisdiction of the United Nations’ top court in the dispute.
Of the 12 people facing arrest, only Machado’s three campaign workers are in Venezuela. They were at a news conference called by Machado when Saab announced the charges against them.
