The Supreme Court of Justice of Venezuela has requested the application of preventive measures depriving the liberty of senior officials of the Argentine government. In a statement, the Criminal Cassation Chamber reported that the investigation involves President Javier Milei, Secretary General Karina Elizabeth Milei and Minister of Security Patricia Bullrich.
The request, made by the Venezuelan Public Prosecutor’s Office, includes charges such as aggravated robbery, money laundering, unlawful deprivation of liberty, and unlawful interference in the operational safety of civil aviation, among others. The Venezuelan Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, was the one who announced the start of the proceedings last week.
The plane that caused the conflict, belonging to the Venezuelan airline Emtrasur Cargo, was grounded in Argentina in June 2022 with 19 Venezuelan and Iranian crew members who were initially detained for alleged links to terrorism. The United States Department of Justice claimed the aircraft on suspicion that it was used for covert operations in the region.
The Argentine government has distanced itself from the dispute over the Emtrasur plane, since it was resolved by the judiciary, which is “independent” of the government. Buenos Aires has also reminded Caracas that in the country “the division of powers and the independence of judges prevail,” unlike what “unfortunately” happens in Venezuela.
The Venezuelan Public Prosecutor’s Office announced the assignment of two specialized prosecutors in the matter, “who are carrying out the relevant investigations in the case.”
This judicial process is based on a request filed on September 18, 2024, in which the intervention of the Venezuelan justice system is demanded to investigate alleged crimes committed by the aforementioned officials. According to the statement, the charges also cover unlawful interference in air safety and the disabling of aircraft, which adds a layer of gravity to the political and diplomatic situation between the two countries.
Saab also announced the appointment of a “prosecutor specializing in human rights protection to conduct the corresponding investigations” against Milei and Bullrich for “the actions committed against the Argentine people.”
Announcing the investigations into Milei, Saab said last Wednesday that the Argentine president “has become a brutal danger for the entire hemisphere” and opened the door to further investigations into alleged crimes against humanity, after condemning the “attacks” against the elderly and young people during the demonstrations against the government.
On Friday, the Argentine government said it does not care at all about the “nonsense” that the “dictatorial” Venezuelan government says about Milei.
“It’s all ridiculous. A dictatorship doesn’t have to understand the division of powers, but the decision about the plane is a judicial decision of Argentina and not of the president of the country,” said presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni at a press conference.
This month, Argentina’s Foreign Ministry urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to request an arrest warrant against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and “other leaders of the regime” in light of “the worsening situation” following the presidential elections in the Caribbean country on July 28.
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