(Buenos Aires) The Supreme Court of Venezuela on Monday validated the issuance of an arrest warrant against Argentine President Javier Milei, before the Argentine justice system in turn ordered the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in another case.
The Venezuelan Supreme Court’s decision follows a September 18 request by Attorney General Tarek William Saab for an arrest warrant against Milei, as well as Patricia Bullrich, the security minister, and Karina Milei, the secretary general of the presidency, in connection with the case of the Venezuelan plane seized in June 2022 in Buenos Aires and sent to the United States.
The measure is, however, symbolic, because it is unlikely that the ultra-liberal Argentine president, his minister and the secretary general of the presidency will travel to Venezuela, where it is applied.
All three are charged with aggravated theft, money laundering, unlawful deprivation of liberty, unlawful interference with the operational safety of civil aviation and use of aircraft.
The imbroglio between the two countries dates back to June 8, 2022, when the Argentine justice system immobilized a Venezuelan cargo plane on its soil. The 19 crew members were detained, then released. Among them were five Iranians, one of whom was, according to Washington, a former commander of the Revolutionary Guards, an organization classified as terrorist by the United States.
The United States then requested the seizure of the aircraft, arguing that it had been sold in October 2021 to Emtrasur, a subsidiary of the Venezuelan state airline Conviasa, by the Iranian company Mahan Air, in violation of American sanctions.
Argentina handed the plane over to the United States in February under new President Javier Milei.
Diametrically opposed ideologically, the two Venezuelan and Argentinian presidents criticize and even insult each other regularly.
PHOTO ARIANA CUBILLOS, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
The Argentine justice system ordered the arrest of Mr Maduro on Monday evening so that he can be questioned as part of an investigation into crimes against humanity.
“Systematic plan of repression”
The Argentine justice system ordered the arrest of Mr Maduro on Monday evening so that he can be questioned as part of an investigation into crimes against humanity under the principle of universal jurisdiction, judicial sources said.
The Federal Court of Buenos Aires has forwarded the arrest request to Interpol so that red alerts can be issued, according to local press.
In addition to Mr Maduro, the ruling orders the arrest of 30 other officials, members of Venezuela’s security forces and intelligence services, as well as Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello.
According to the Federal Chamber, after hearing witnesses, “it was proven that there exists in Venezuela a systematic plan of repression, forced disappearance of people, torture, homicides and persecution against part of the civilian population, developed – at least – from 2014 until today,” indicates an extract from the ruling cited by the newspaper La Nacion.
On July 29, Venezuela broke off diplomatic relations with seven Latin American countries, including Argentina, which do not recognize Mr. Maduro’s re-election at the end of July in the face of the opposition, which claims victory.