Venezuelan Prosecutor's Office investigates María Corina Machado for her support of the US “Bolívar Law”

Opposition leader María Corina Machado shows vote count records during a protest against the re-election of President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, August 28, 2024.

The Venezuelan prosecutor's office opened an investigation against opposition leader María Corina Machado for allegedly having committed the crimes of treason, conspiracy with foreign countries and association to commit a crime.

The Public Ministry (MP) of Venezuela opened an investigation against the opposition leader María Corina Machado “to be charged” for having supported a bipartisan bill approved in the United States House of Representatives, which seeks to cut off the financial flow to the government of the President Nicolás Maduro, identified by his promoters as the “Bolivar Law”.

“The public statements that the aforementioned has made regarding this invalid billseriously involve her and constitute the commission of the crimes of treason, conspiracy with foreign countries and association to commit a crime,” states a statement released on Friday by the MP.

Machado, winner of the opposition presidential primary, but disqualified from holding public office, thanked the members of the House of Representatives who defended and approved the Law Prohibiting Operations and Leases with the Illegitimate Authoritarian Regime of Venezuela, known as the “Bolívar Law.” ”, which must now pass to the US Senate.

“Crucial step” against Chavismo, he said

The opposition leader said from the clandestinity in which she has been for several weeks that the bill “is a crucial step to hold the Maduro regime accountable” and assured that she hopes to continue working with allies to “achieve a rapid transition towards democracy.”

In response to the progress of the bill, the Venezuelan parliament, with a pro-government majority, approved this Thursday the first discussion of legislation that establishes the “perpetual” political disqualification of those who support sanctions against the country.

In addition, it also contemplates the application of the Domain Extension Law for those who “promote, participate, disseminate or advocate unilateral coercive measures against the Venezuelan people,” according to the State channel.

On Wednesday, the president Nicolás Maduro, who described the law as “garbage” promoted by Mike Waltz, recently chosen by the president-elect of the United States Donald Trump as his future national security advisor, had asked the National Assembly to speed up the approval of the legislation.

Maduro was proclaimed winner of the July 28 presidential elections for a third term, but the opposition, which published copies of the minutes kept by its table witnesses, denounced fraud and attributed the victory to former candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, currently in a “forced” exile in Spain.

Part of the international community has not recognized Maduro as the winner and has called for independent verification of the results that caused protests that left 28 people dead and more than 2,400 detained.