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(CNN Spanish) - Venezuela's attorney general, Tarek William Saab, said Friday that the Public Prosecutor's Office will initiate a criminal investigation against Juan Guaidó for his alleged links with paramilitarism.
William Saab said in a press conference that the photographs released by the Colombian non-governmental organization, Progresar Foundation, "confirm the hypothesis that he and his environment maintain a relationship with these criminal groups."
The attorney general also questioned that the president of the National Assembly, who declared himself president in charge of Venezuela, did not know that the two people with whom he was photographed were members of the Colombian criminal gang “Los Rastrojos”.
- Guaidó denies that Los Rastrojos criminal group will help him cross the border with Colombia
"We must assume that it was a simple photograph with these fans in love who wanted to take a picture at the border, impossible," said William Saab.
Néstor Reverol, Minister of the Interior of Venezuela, also held a press conference in which he presented what he claims are evidence of the direct connection of Guaidó with criminal organizations. Reverol said the Venezuelan government knew about this alleged relationship before the NGO Fundación Progresar published the photographs on Thursday.
“According to the investigations carried out by Venezuelan intelligence bodies, in March there was the arrest of Roberto Marrero, leader of Popular Will and right hand of Juan Guaidó. From there, he demonstrated his relationship with this criminal organization and also provided the intelligence bodies with valuable information that led us to the capture of Wilfredo de Jesús Torres Gómez, aka “Neco”, in the city of Valencia, ”Reverol said.
For the Interior Minister, the move from Guaidó to Colombia in February was “an extraction operation by Colombian narco-paramilitaries, who provided Guaidó with security and custody during the tour in Colombian territory”.
"All these communities were subjected for more than 24 hours to a paramilitary curfew to prevent Guaidó from being seen and as part of a transfer condition," Reverol denounced.
Earlier, in an interview with Blu Radio of Colombia, Juan Guaidó denied that criminal groups helped him cross the border.
For its part, the Colombian Ministry of Defense told CNN that "Guaidó was not accompanied by criminals while in Colombian territory."
Crisis in Venezuela Juan GuaidóTarek William Saab