This Friday, The United States increased the reward for information leading to the capture of Nicolás Maduro from 15 to 25 million dollarswho asHe ended his new term as president of Venezuela today, amid accusations of crimes related to drug trafficking.
The announcement is part of a set of new sanctions imposed by the Joe Biden administration, which occur after Maduro’s inauguration before the National Assembly controlled by Chavismo, in a context of complaints of a “coup d’état” by the opposition, which claims the electoral victory of Edmundo González Urrutia.
READ: Nicolás Maduro takes office as president of Venezuela for a third term
In addition to the reward for the capture of Maduro, the United States offers another 25 million dollars for information on the whereabouts of Diosdado Cabello, Minister of the Interior, and 15 million for the capture of Vladimir Padrino, Minister of Defense. Also, The US Treasury Department imposed economic sanctions on eight senior officials of the Venezuelan Government, whom it accuses of “repression”, among them the president of the state oil company PDVSA, Héctor Obregón Pérez, and the Minister of Transportation, Ramón Celestino Velásquez.
On the other hand, the Biden administration extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for another 18 months to thousands of Venezuelans, allowing them to continue residing and working in the United States.
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY.
This Friday’s announcement does not include the revocation of licenses for foreign companies, such as Chevron, to extract oil in Venezuela. A senior government official explained in a telephone press conference that the sanctions respond to “recent events in Venezuela,” including Maduro’s “false presidential inauguration.” Maduro took office after the electoral authority proclaimed him the winner, although without offering the disaggregated results of the elections.
The same source pointed out that González Urrutia “should have taken office as president of Venezuela today,” because there is “indisputable evidence” that he won the July 28 elections, according to the minutes presented by the opposition.
EE
