Venezuelan Prosecution Launches Probe Into Corruption By Opposition - Statement

The Venezuelan Prosecutor General's Office has said in a statement it launched an investigation against opposition members suspected of embezzling foreign funds allocated to Venezuelans who had migrated to Colombia

BUENOS AIRES (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th June, 2019) The Venezuelan Prosecutor General's Office has said in a statement it launched an investigation against opposition members suspected of embezzling foreign funds allocated to Venezuelans who had migrated to Colombia.

"Venezuelan Prosecutor General Tarek William Saab ordered his office to launch a criminal investigation into two persons' operations with money allocated for alleged assistance to Venezuelans who had migrated to Colombia," the statement said on Tuesday.

The two persons suspected of embezzlement are Rossana Barrera and Kevin Rojas, whom opposition leader Juan Guaido ordered to manage funds. According to the prosecution, the two suspects falsified bills for hotels where Venezuelans were supposed to live, instead using them for personal purposes to pay for apartments, alcohol, as well as to finance actions that destabilize the situation in Venezuela.

The prosecutor general stressed that the authorities were investigating origin and use of the funds.

Venezuelan Communication Minister Jorge Rodriguez said on Tuesday that Guaido, along with a number of opposition members, was involved in a corruption conspiracy to steal funds from state-owned companies abroad, as well as resources allocated as humanitarian aid.

Venezuela has been rocked by unrest since January, when Guaido proclaimed himself the country's interim president and was recognized by the United States and 54 other nations.

Legitimate President Nicolas Maduro, recognized by China and Russia among numerous other countries, has accused the United States of seeking to overthrow his government and install Guaido in a bid to get hold of Venezuela's natural resources.