Venezuelan prosecutor calls reward for Maduro 'infamous'

Caracas.- The Attorney General of Venezuela, Tarek William Saab, described this Friday as «grotesque and infamous» the fifty million dollar reward announced by his American counterpart, Pam Bondi, in exchange for information leading to the arrest of the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, a figure that doubles the one offered last January.

In a statement, the head of the Public Ministry (MP, Prosecutor's Office) repudiated "categorically" what it considers a "maneuver by the United States Government," and assured that this "infamy constitutes a flagrant violation of international law, an attack" against the country's sovereignty and "a gross interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state."

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"The United States insists on resorting to practices typical of colonial regimes universally rejected for centuries, using its judicial apparatus as an instrument of global political persecution. This action is part of a psychological warfare and propaganda operation, designed to please extremist elements of the Venezuelan far-right and generate chaos in the midst of an electoral and political context where they have been defeated on the democratic ground," he expressed.

Venezuela speaks of «calumny»

Saab stated that "pretending to link the Venezuelan head of state to criminal structures (...) is not only an infamous slander, but a desperate attempt to build an artificial file that does not withstand the slightest serious, technical or legal analysis." "Faced with that false and malicious narrative, there is an irrefutable truth: the Venezuelan State, under the leadership of President Nicolás Maduro, and in coordination with the organs of the justice system, including the Public Ministry, has promoted a firm, sustained and effective policy against organized crime, drug trafficking and all forms of transnational crime," he said.

The U.S. accused Maduro in 2020, during Donald Trump's first presidency, of drug trafficking and terrorism, and in January 2025 increased the reward for his capture to 25 million dollars.

Following the publication of the new reward, the Cuban government and former Bolivian President Evo Morales expressed solidarity with Maduro, while the Venezuelan exile requested "more forceful measures" and the President of Mexico stated she was unaware of the matter.

U.S. Justifies Reward for Maduro's Capture

This Thursday, Bondi shared a video on social media in which he described the reward - now of 50 million dollars - as "historic" and called Maduro one of the biggest drug traffickers in the world and a threat to the security of the United States. In that sense, he accused him of using foreign terrorist organizations such as Sinaloa and the Cartel del Soles to introduce lethal drugs and violence into the North American nation. The U.S. Attorney General also revealed that her country's Department of Justice has seized more than $700 million in assets allegedly linked to Maduro, as well as two private jets and nine vehicles.

"Maduro will not escape justice and will answer for his atrocious crimes," Bondi concluded in his message.

In response, the Venezuelan chancellor, Yván Gil, stated that the "pathetic" reward is a "crude political propaganda operation" and the "most ridiculous smokescreen" he has seen. On Wednesday, Maduro accused the Trump administration of financing a "fascist conspiracy" against Venezuela, for which he asked civil and military authorities to refine the plans for national "security and protection of peace".