Venezuela USA has Maduro's plane confiscated

US sanctions have been in place against Venezuela's leadership for years. Head of state Nicolás Maduro is said to have violated them and illegally obtained a jet from the USA. The Americans are now taking it back.

The US authorities have seized an aircraft belonging to the authoritarian Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro due to sanctions violations. This was announced by the Department of Justice in Washington. The Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft, which belonged to Maduro and his entourage, was confiscated in the Dominican Republic and transferred to the US state of Florida. The background to this is said to be violations of American sanctions and export controls.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland explained in a written statement that the aircraft had been purchased illegally via a shell company for 13 million dollars and smuggled out of the USA "to be used by Nicolás Maduro and his cronies".

A representative of the US Department of Commerce emphasized that it doesn't matter how fancy a private jet is or how powerful its owner is - the US is working relentlessly to bring back any aircraft illegally smuggled out of the United States. US government sanctions prohibit Americans from doing business with members of the Maduro government. Restrictions also apply to exports to Venezuela.

Crisis state VenezuelaNicolás Maduro remains president

Venezuelan government reacts indignantly

The government of the South American country condemned the seizure of its aircraft. "The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela denounces to the international community that the authorities of the United States of America, in a criminal practice that can only be described as piracy, have illegally seized an aircraft belonging to the President of the Republic, justifying this with the coercive measures that they are imposing unilaterally and illegally throughout the world," it said in a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Caracas.

USA recognizes victory of the opposition

The US denies Maduro any legitimacy in office and also considers his controversial recent re-election to be rigged. The confirmation of the result by the loyal Supreme Court is not accepted by several countries. The electoral authority had declared the head of state, who has been in power since 2013, the winner of the presidential election on July 28. However, it has not yet published the itemized results - the government justifies this with an alleged hacker attack. The opposition speaks of electoral fraud and claims victory for its candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia.

Arrest warrant issued against González

Following the presidential election, which was overshadowed by allegations of fraud, an arrest warrant was issued for González on Monday (local time). The ex-diplomat is accused of, among other things, usurpation of office, incitement to disobey the law, conspiracy and sabotage, according to the decision of a court in Caracas responsible for terrorism proceedings. The judge thus granted a corresponding request by the pro-government public prosecutor's office.

"They have lost all touch with reality," wrote opposition leader María Corina Machado on X. "By threatening the elected president, they are only bringing us closer together and strengthening the support of Venezuelans and the world for Edmundo González. Serenity, courage and determination. We are moving forward."

The USA and several Latin American countries have already recognized the ex-diplomat's election victory. The European Union and the Organization of American States also doubt the official election result.

Maduro's re-election in 2018 had already not been recognized internationally by many countries. Juan Guaidó, then president of parliament, declared himself interim president in 2019, but was unable to assert himself in the country - mainly because the military backed Maduro. This allowed him to simply sit out the protests at the time.

dpa