The main Venezuelan opposition candidate in the July 28 election, Edmundo González, was once again notified this Monday (26) by the Public Ministry (MP) of the South American country. The attorney general of the MP, Tarek William Saab, ordered González to appear at the agency’s headquarters this Tuesday (27), in Caracas.
He must provide clarifications about the investigation against those responsible for the website where the opposition published the alleged electoral records that give González the victory. Last Friday (23), the candidate had already been notified to appear before the body today.
The MP assesses that maintaining the page maintained by the opposition with the alleged minutes may incur crimes such as “usurpation of functions, forging of public documents; instigation to disobey the laws, computer crimes, association to commit crimes and conspiracy”.
The investigation by the Venezuelan Public Prosecutor’s Office points out that the page on the internet seeks to usurp the powers of the National Electoral Council (CNE), the only institution with the power to publish the results of elections in Venezuela. The head of the MP, Tarek William Saab, claims that the “alleged documents” are falsified, “causing the dissemination of this false information to agitate the population”.
On social media, the candidate who claims to have won the election against Maduro commented on the investigation and questioned the impartiality of the Venezuelan attorney general
“The Public Prosecutor’s Office intends to subject me to an interview without specifying under what conditions I should appear and pre-qualifying crimes that were not committed. The Attorney General of the Republic has repeatedly behaved like a political accuser. He condemns in advance and now promotes a subpoena without guarantees of independence and due process,” said González.
Protests
The government of Nicolas Maduro has accused Edmundo and María Corina Machado of being the masterminds behind the violence committed in the context of post-election protests with the aim of promoting a coup d’état. The acts allegedly led to the death of more than 20 people, in addition to 2,200 arrests and more than 100 injuries, including dozens of security force agents.
On the other hand, the opposition accuses the government of rigging the vote on July 28 and of repressing and arrest those who demonstrate against Maduro’s re-election. Human rights organizations estimate that 1,300 arbitrary arrests were made after the election.
