The Venezuelan Public Ministry (deputy, prosecutor) announced on Thursday that it had summoned, for the third time, for Friday, the presidential candidate of the main opposition coalition, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutiaas part of an investigation against him linked to the complaint for electoral fraud what anti-Chavismo did and threatened to issue an arrest warrant.
“Edmundo González Urrutia was summoned for the third time on Friday to the Public Ministry,” the institution said in a publication on Instagram, where it published the summons document.
The prosecution warned that if he did not appear again on the specified date, he would be “A corresponding arrest warrant has been issued” considering that he “is at risk of flight”, according to information Efe.
The investigation against González Urrutia is linked to the publication of a Web page, in which the anti-Chavistas claim to have put online “83.5% of the electoral files” collected by witnesses and members of the polling stations on the night of the presidential election, to support their complaint of fraud in the elections of July 28, according to the deputy.
The largest opposition bloc, the United Democratic Platform (PUD)published this report, which the Executive describes as “false”, after the National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaimed Nicolas Madurowhich has been questioned by many countries, some of which argue that González Urrutia won by a landslide.
This is why the prosecution summoned the PUD flagbearer – in the first instance for this Monday and, when he was not present, summoned him on Tuesday, when he did not show up either – for “the alleged commission of the crimes of usurpation of functionscounterfeiting of public document, incitement to disobedience of lawscomputer crimes, criminal association and conspiracy.
On Wednesday, the Attorney General, Tarek William Saabexplained that Venezuelan jurisprudence allows a person to be summoned up to three times. “There is a third summons that we are going to send you. There are three, according to the jurisprudence of the Criminal Chamber. A person can be summoned up to three times to, in this case, as an investigator, make a statement about a continuous process (…) that also links disobedience to the laws,” Saab said in statements to the media.
Last Sunday, through a video published on social networks, González Urrutia stated that the deputy “intends to subject him to an interview without specifying under what conditions he should appear and pre-qualifying crimes not committed“.
According to him, the attorney general “has behaved on several occasions like a political accuser”, because – he said – “he condemns in advance and now promotes a summons without guarantees of independence and due process”.
