USA increased this Friday from 15 to 25 million dollars the reward for information leading to the capture of Nicolas Madurowho was sworn in today in Parliament, controlled by Chavismo, as president of Venezuela for the period 2025-2031. The announcement is part of a new set of sanctions that Joe Biden’s Administration imposes after Maduro was sworn into office before the National Assembly, controlled by Chavismo, amid accusations of a “coup d’état” by the opposition. that claims the electoral victory of Edmundo González Urrutia.
A reward poster for Nicolás Maduro. (EFE/United States Department of State).
In addition to the reward for Maduro, The United States offers 25 million for information that leads to the capture of the Minister of the Interior, Diosdado Cabelloand others 15 million for the arrest of Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino.
In addition, The Treasury Department imposed economic sanctions on eight senior officials of the Venezuelan Government those he accuses of “repression,” such as the president of the state oil company PDVSA, Héctor Obregón Pérez, or the Minister of TransportRamón Celestino Velásquez.
Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello attends a demonstration in support of President Nicolás Maduro on the eve of the presidential inauguration in Caracas, on January 9, 2025. (Photo by Betty Laura Zapata / AFP)
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The Biden Government, which will be succeeded on January 20 by the new Donald Trump Administration, stated that will take “additional measures” to limit Maduro’s income and their representatives when analyzing, case by case, the embargo of Venezuelan assets abroad.
In parallel, The United States will extend for a period of another 18 months the temporary protected status (TPS) granted to thousands of Venezuelans so that they can reside and work in the country.
Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino speaks to the media in Caracas on August 6, 2024. (AFP).
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Today’s announcement does not include the cancellation of licenses for foreign companies such as Chevron to extract oil from Venezuela.
A senior government official explained in a telephone press conference that the sanctions imposed are a response to “recent events in Venezuelaincluding the false presidential inauguration of Ripe”, who was sworn in after the electoral authority proclaimed him the winner of the elections, without offering the disaggregated results of these.
The same source added that González Urrutia “should be sworn in today as president of Venezuela” because there is “indisputable evidence” that he won the July 28 elections, according to the minutes presented by the opposition.
