CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela's opposition is coming under scrutiny for a case in which two activists allegedly misappropriated funds designated to help Venezuelan security forces who deserted and crossed into Colombia.

Opposition leader Juan Guaidó said Monday that his diplomatic representative in Colombia will on Tuesday provide Colombian investigators with information about an opposition probe of the case. Guaidó, who is trying to topple Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, says anyone found guilty of wrongdoing must be punished.

Maduro, who is frequently accused by the opposition of large-scale corruption, says the opposition case shows that Guaidó's camp cannot be trusted.

Hundreds of Venezuelan security forces heeded an opposition call to leave their posts in February, around the time that Guaidó led a failed attempt to deliver aid across the border into Venezuela. </s> CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's U.S.-backed opposition on Monday came under increasing scrutiny for a case in which two activists allegedly misappropriated funds designated to help Venezuelan security forces who deserted and crossed into Colombia.

Opposition leader Juan Guaidó said his diplomatic representative in Colombia will on Tuesday provide Colombian investigators with information about an opposition probe of the case. Guaidó, who is trying to topple Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, says anyone found guilty of wrongdoing must be punished.

Still, the alleged theft was a blow to an opposition movement that frequently accuses Maduro and his associates of large-scale corruption, contributing to the economic and humanitarian crisis that Venezuela has endured for years.

Maduro was quick to highlight the alleged opposition theft, saying it shows Guaidó's camp cannot be trusted.

"Corruption isn't new in the opposition," he said. "The evidence is coming out."

Hundreds of Venezuelan security forces heeded an opposition call to leave their posts in February, around the time that Guaidó tried to deliver U.S.-provided aid from Colombia and Brazil into neighboring Venezuela. The attempt collapsed when Venezuelan forces loyal to Maduro blocked aid trucks and clashes broke out.

Many of the Venezuelan security forces who fled into Colombia ended up in limbo, staying in hotels and other lodgings with no means of supporting themselves. Working with Colombian authorities, the Venezuelan opposition set up a plan to provide food and shelter for deserters and any family members who had joined them.

Humberto Calderón Berti, the top opposition envoy in Colombia, has said he started an internal investigation into the alleged corruption two months ago after a tip from Colombian intelligence. He will present the results of the probe to the Colombian attorney general's office, according to Guaidó.

The two suspects in the case were removed from their jobs after the internal investigation started, according to the Venezuelan opposition. They are currently in Colombia.

In January, Guaidó declared that he was the rightful leader of Venezuela and that Maduro's re-election last year was a sham. The United States led dozens of countries in recognizing Guaidó's claim, and imposed sanctions on Venezuela's already deteriorating oil industry.

Maduro has defied the pressure, maintaining the support of Venezuela's military leadership as well as allies Cuba and Russia. </s> Canada says it is recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim president of Venezuela.

Two officials familiar with the matter confirm the Canadian position, but spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The move comes shortly after the US also issued recognition of Guaido as president and called for President Nicolas Maduro to step down.

Recognition of the opposition leader by the US and Canada increases international pressure on Maduro and could result in severe economic consequences for his government. </s> Law360 (March 1, 2019, 6:51 PM EST) -- Interim Venezuelan President Juan Guaidó has urged the D.C. Circuit to strike recent submissions Nicolás Maduro's government made in an appeal to nix confirmation of a $1.2 billion arbitral award to...

To view the full article, register now. </s> Venezuelan Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó Faces A Corruption Scandal Of His Own

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó is under scrutiny over allegations that two of his representatives in neighboring Colombia misappropriated money meant to support Venezuelan security forces. </s> Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido accused President Nicolas Maduro on Monday of trying to illicitly transfer up to $1.2 billion from public coffers to a bank in Uruguay.

He said Maduro was seeking to move the money from the Venezuelan Economic and Social Development Bank to Uruguay and called on the Montevideo government "not to lend itself to stealing".

"We are talking about between $1 billion and $1.2 billion dollars," said Guaido, who was recognized as Venezuela's interim president Monday by more than 15 European states. </s> Guaido, the man who need the US to be president

CARACAS – Carlos Vecchio, the representative of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó, reported that he officially requested support for the US Southern Command to advance strategic and operational planning.

“I write at the direction of the Interim president of Venezuela, Juan Guaido. We are grateful to the United States for its friendship, resolve and readiness to support our continued efforts to place Venezualan people first and look forward to fruitful planning and coordinaton. According, I respectfully request a meeting at United States Southern Command with appropriate members of the Guaido Administration,” Carlos Vecchio said on behalf of Juan Guaidó as Chargé d’Affaires of Venezuela in the USA.

He also published his letter to the head of the US Southern Command, Admiral Craig Falle, where he writes that the interim government thanks and receives US support and confirms our willingness to begin talks regarding the cooperation that had been offered by his command.

In addition, Vecchio called for a meeting between the US Southern Command and the appropriate members of President Guaido’s interim government.

The letter was sent on May 11. On the same day Guaidó stated that he instructed “our representative Carlos Vecchio to meet with the Southern Command to establish direct relations to achieve cooperation.”

“We instruct our representative Carlos Vecchio to meet with the Southern Command to establish direct relations to achieve cooperation,” said Guaidó.

Venezuela has dealt with a serious political crisis, with opposition leader Juan Guaidó proclaiming himself interim president of the country on January 23.

The US and several countries in Europe and Latin America, including Brazil, have recognized Guaidó as interim president of the country.

Russia, China, Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Turkey, Mexico, Iran and many other countries expressed their support for Maduro as the legitimate president and demanded that other countries respect the principle of non-interference in Venezuelan internal affairs.

However, the Bolivarian defense forces have pledged their loyalty to Maduro and are fully prepared to defend the country from a US military invasion. </s> Venezuelan opposition leader and self-declared interim president Juan Guaido said Monday that President Nicolas Maduro is trying to transfer up to $1.2 billion to a bank in Uruguay.

Speaking on national television after over a dozen European countries officially recognized him as Venezuela's leader, Guaido claimed, without presenting evidence, that Maduro was moving the money from state development bank Bandes to a financial entity in Uruguay.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States, which recognized Guaido as interim president last week, welcomed Monday's decision by European countries, including Austria, France, Germany, Sweden and Britain to follow suit.

"We are also heartened by the European Parliament's January 31 resolution recognizing Juan Guaido as interim president. They join the United States and more than 23 other countries in recognizing Juan Guaido as interim president, in accordance with Venezuela's constitution," Pompeo said in a statement.

The announcements came after a number of countries gave Maduro a deadline to hold free and fair elections, or else they would recognize Guaido, who declared himself interim president in January, as the leader of the South American country.

Guaido said during a recent VOA interview he would order new elections "when we achieve the capacity to convene elections." First, Guaido said, "we have to achieve the necessary force in order for this usurpation to end."

In New York Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the United Nations will not participate in any groups of countries looking to resolve the political crisis in Venezuela.

"The UN secretariat has decided not to be part of any of these groups in order to give credibility to our continued offer of good offices to the parties to be able at their request to help find a political solution," Guterres told reporters.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt posted on Twitter: "Nicolas Maduro has not called Presidential elections within 8 day limit we have set. So UK alongside European allies now recognizes @jguaido as interim constitutional president until credible elections can be held. Let's hope this take us closer to ending humanitarian crisis."

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Monday in Madrid that "...we are working for the return of full democracy in Venezuela..."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told France Inter Radio that the Venezuelan crisis would end "peacefully" with an early presidential election.

In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov criticized Monday's European declarations as "attempts to legitimize usurped power" and "interference in Venezuela's internal affairs."

Maduro has presided over a Venezuelan economic collapse that has resulted in chronic shortages of food and medicine. He blames the U.S. for supporting what he calls a coup to remove him from power and exploit Venezuela's vast oil reserves.

On Monday, Canada announced at an emergency meeting of the Lima group that it would provide $53 million in aid to Venezuela.

"The bulk of the funds will go to trusted partners and neighboring countries to help them support Venezuela and Venezuelans," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the group, which includes Canada and 13 Latin American countries. </s> Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó has reportedly been detained by the country's intelligence agents, two days after he was declared the interim President of Venezuela by the disempowered National Assembly.

"Alert the world and the country that today # 13Ene a SEBIN command intercepted the President of the National Assembly of Venezuela @jguaido and we do not know his whereabouts," a message on Guaidó's official Twitter account reads.

Later in the day, Organization of American States (OAS) President Luis Almagro accused Venezuelan authorities of kidnapping Guaido.

"[We] totally condemn and reject the kidnapping of Venezuelan interim president Juan Guaido. The international community must stop the crimes of [Venezuelan President Nicolas] Maduro and his henchmen," Almagro tweeted.

Maduro has faced criticism from a number of states after his re-election in May, with some countries claiming that the vote was illegitimate, something vehemently denied by Caracas.

Earlier in January, the Peruvian Foreign Ministry said following the meeting of the Lima Group foreign ministers that the union did not recognize the legitimacy of Maduro's new presidential term that will begin on January 10 and urged him to call a new presidential election.
Partially-recognized Interim President of Venezuela Juan Guaidó and Venezuelan Ambassador to Colombia Humberto Calderón Berti request that the Colombian government investigate two administrators of their own alliance on suspicion of embezzling US$100,000.