The United States has offered a reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and fourteen other high-ranking Venezuelan officials.
Washington wants to arrest him for “narcoterrorism” and is promising $ 15 million. Maduro, 57, came to power in 2013, succeeding Hugo Chávez (1954-2013).
Since 2019, many countries, including the Netherlands, have no longer regarded Maduro as the legal head of state of the impoverished South American country.
Among the other Venezuelan top figures that Washington has in its sights are a former vice president, the Secretary of Defense and the president of the Supreme Court.
According to US Secretary of Justice William Barr, Maduro’s regime is “steeped in corruption and crime. While the population suffers, this gang fills pockets with drug money and corruption revenues,” Barr said Thursday.
Maduro holds power thanks to loyal soldiers. Attempts by opposition leader and parliament president Juan Guaidó to get Maduro to resign with foreign aid have so far failed. Many countries see Guaidó as the interim president of Venezuela.
