Venezuela seeks arrest warrant for Milei

Caracas has accused Argentina’s leader of “illegally” handing over a Venezuelan cargo plane to the US

Caracas has opened a criminal investigation of Argentine President Javier Milei over the handing over of a seized Venezuelan cargo plane to the US. 

The dispute between the two South American countries stems from the fate of the Emtrasur Boeing 747-300FM, which was initially purchased from Iran’s Mahan Air. In August 2022, the Argentine authorities seized the aircraft at the request of the US. Washington had previously blacklisted Mahan Air as part of export restrictions placed on Iran.

Venezuela has long protested the detention of the aircraft, arguing that Argentina violated international law, and has demanded compensation. In March 2024, Caracas even closed airspace to flights to and from Argentina. 

Announcing the probe on Wednesday, Venezuelan Prosecutor General Tarek Saab said that he appointed two prosecutors to “process” arrest warrants for Milei, his sister Karina Milei, who leads the president’s office, and Argentine Security Minister Patricia Bullrich. He added that the actions of the Argentine leadership constitute seven different crimes under Venezuelan law, including aggravated theft and money laundering. According to Saab, “a competent court here in Venezuela” would soon rule on the warrants.

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In 2024, the impounded aircraft was “illegally” transferred to the US, where it was “completely dismantled,” which “outraged the Venezuelan nation,” Saab said. 

The Argentine Foreign Ministry released a statement, “repudiating” the arrest warrants. It argued that the handover of the plane had been cleared by Argentina’s court system in accordance with a bilateral treaty with Washington. “The judiciary is an independent power, with which the government cannot and should not interfere in any way,” the statement read. 

A self-described anarcho-capitalist, Milei became Argentina’s president in 2023 and has promised to “strengthen the strategic alliance” with the US. 

He recently asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to order an arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom he repeatedly described as a “dictator” and accused of human rights abuses. Maduro, for his part, has called Milei “a right-wing extremist” and accused the Argentine leader of “kneeling to US imperialism.”