MIAMI, United States. – The United States Department of State increased to 25 million dollars the reward for those who provide data that allows the arrest and/or conviction of Nicolás Maduro, while the Treasury Department announced new sanctions against eight senior officials of the Chavista regime.
The State Department also raised the reward for the capture of the Minister of the Interior, Justice and Peace of the Venezuelan regime, Diosdado Cabello, to $25 million. Likewise, he established an additional reward of 15 million for the Minister of Defense, Vladimir Padrino.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) detailed that those sanctioned allow the “repression and subversion of democracy” in Venezuela, a situation that, according to Washington, worsened after the elections of July 28, 2024. .
The official statement points out that, despite repeated calls for a democratic transition, the Maduro regime “has continued its violent repression to maintain power” and ignored citizen demands for “accountability and political openness.”
As part of this new pressure strategy, OFAC included in its list directors of Petróleos de Venezuela (PdVSA), the state airline Conviasa and several military and police commanders, whom it holds responsible for “committing systematic human rights abuses, arbitrary detentions and repression against democratic actors.”
The State Department highlighted that the increase in rewards is part of the Narcotics Rewards Program, and seeks to encourage the collaboration of the international community to capture key figures of the Venezuelan leadership.
This restrictive policy against Caracas is further reinforced by the imposition of new visa restrictions under Presidential Proclamation 9931, focused on officials who, according to the United States, “have undermined the Venezuelan electoral process” and are responsible for repressive acts against the opposition.
The announced sanctions block properties and accounts of those identified under US jurisdiction and prohibit US persons or entities from carrying out transactions with them. According to the statement, its “objective is not to punish” but to influence “a positive change in behavior,” although it emphasizes that the conduct of those involved in repression or corruption may lead to criminal or civil measures.
This Friday, Nicolás Maduro sworn in for a third term as president of Venezuela before the National Assembly, without displaying the minutes that prove his questioned electoral victory last July.
Meanwhile, the opposition, which did present 85% of the electoral records, gave proof that the true winner of the elections was Edmundo González Urrutia.
Edmundo González Urrutia, who is considered president-elect by the United States, the European Union, Canada and numerous Latin American governments, remains in the Dominican Republic, where he has participated in activities to denounce Chavismo’s electoral fraud.
According to his statements, he would return to Venezuela on January 10, although no details of his trip have been confirmed.
