US claims Maduro’s plane seized due to Venezuelan sanctions
The US Justice Department announced on Monday the seizure of a plane used by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, citing violations of sanctions, News.Az reports citing Deutsche Welle.
The plane was seized in the Dominican Republic and flown to the southern US state of Florida."The Justice Department seized an aircraft we allege was illegally purchased for $13 million through a shell company and smuggled out of the United States for use by Nicolas Maduro and his cronies," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
This comes as pressure piles up on Maduro both domestically and internationally, following the contested July 28 election, which he claims to have won, but has been widely regarded as a sham.
The Venezuelan opposition says its vote tallies suggest its candidate opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia was the actual winner.
What did the US say?
The aircraft is a Dassault Falcon 900EX. The US says it was illegally transported from the US to Venezuela via the Caribbean in April 2023.
"Maduro and his representatives' have tampered with the results of the July 28 presidential election, falsely claimed victory, and carried out wide-spread repression to maintain power by force," a US National Security Council spokesperson said.
The seizure of the plane "is an important step to ensure that Maduro continues to feel the consequences from his misgovernance of Venezuela," they added.
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