Maduro regime issues arrest warrant against presidential election victor Edmundo González Urrutia

The Venezuelan Prosecutor's Office issued on Monday an “arrest order” for Edmundo González Urrutia, the presidential opponent of dictator Nicolás Maduro.

González Urrutia, who led the opposition coalition as its presidential candidate in this year’s elections, has been widely recognized as the victor by the country and international community.

In a letter, Venezuelan prosecutor Luis Ernesto Dueñez Reyes requested the arrest of González Urrutia for his “alleged commission of crimes of usurpation of functions” and “forging of a public document,” conspiracy, sabotage and illicit association, according to the document circulating in social networks.

According to an official letter from the fiscal entity dated today, Aug. 2, the anti-Chavista is also accused of “instigation to disobedience of laws,” without further argument.

ÚLTIMA HORA | Ministerio Público pide orden de aprehensión contra Edmundo González Urrutia #Venezuela #EdmundoGonzalez #Fiscalia pic.twitter.com/0cUA5cxmSW

— Americateve (@Americateve) September 2, 2024

The request is made after the Prosecutor's Office summoned the man recognized by several countries in the region as the new president of Venezuela, on three occasions and the opponent decided not to appear, not knowing what capacity he should appear in and not recognizing the crimes he committed. The Public Ministry (MP) of the South American country attributes it to him.

The regime’s investigation of González Urrutia is related to the publication of a website in which the main opposition coalition, the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), claims to have uploaded “83.5% of the electoral records” collected by witnesses and members table the night of the election to support his complaint of fraud in the presidential elections.

The PUD released these records, which the regime called “false” after the National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaimed Nicolás Maduro as the winner of the elections—a declaration which has been questioned by numerous countries, some of which insist that González Urrutia won by a wide margin.

The official vote tallies have not yet been published by the ruling party and Maduro regime. 

Last Thursday, when the third summons for the opponent was made public, the Prosecutor's Office warned that, if he did not attend again, a “respective arrest warrant would be issued” considering that he “is in the presence of a flight risk.”

On Aug. 25, the date on which the first summons was issued, through a video published on social networks, González Urrutia expressed that the MP “intends to subject him to an interview without specifying under what condition he is expected to appear and prequalify crimes not committed.”

In his opinion, the attorney general, Tarek William Saab, “has repeatedly behaved like a political accuser,” since, he asserted, “he condemns in advance and now promotes a summons without guarantees of independence and due process.”