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> Caracas, Feb 21 (EFE).- Venezuela’s National Guard (GNB) on Thursday blocked a convoy of opposition lawmakers from traveling from this capital to the Venezuela-Colombia border, video footage uploaded to social media showed.



The guardsmen forced the legislators to get off of buses, leading to a brief confrontation and pushing and shoving.



The footage showed that tear gas was fired during the incident, which occurred at around 2 pm at the La Cabrera tunnel that links the central states of Aragua and Carabobo.



Juan Guaido, the speaker of Venezuela’s opposition-controlled National Assembly and self-proclaimed acting president of the oil-rich nation, was expected to be leading the delegation that left Caracas Thursday morning for the western border state of Tachira.



The purpose of the trip is to receive international aid that has been stockpiled in the Colombian city of Cucuta.

 Preparations are being made to deliver the aid to the crisis-hit country even though leftist Venezuelan head of state Nicolas Maduro vows not to let it enter.



A member of Guaido’s team said he was traveling along with numerous other opposition lawmakers in the convoy of three buses, although EFE was unable to independently confirm that information.



Late last month, Venezuela’s Attorney General’s Office opened an investigation into Guaido, who has had his bank accounts frozen and also is barred from selling his assets or leaving the country.



That latter restriction could prevent him from joining other opposition leaders who have gathered in Cucuta to coordinate the delivery of aid shipments from the United States.



Venezuela’s opposition, which does not recognize Maduro’s May 2018 re-election victory and his new six-year term in office that began on Jan. 10, has called on the international community to help supply food and other basic goods to a country racked by shortages and hyperinflation.



A portion of that aid is being stockpiled in Cucuta, and opposition lawmakers say they will deliver it to their homeland on Saturday amid a large mobilization of ordinary citizens.



Such a move would be in defiance of Maduro, who has says Venezuela has long been the victim of US-led economic warfare and earlier this month described the aid as a “rotten gift” carrying the “poison of humiliation.”



Separately, the White House said Thursday that US Vice President Mike Pence will visit Colombia on Feb. 25 to “voice the United States’ unwavering support for interim President Juan Guaido and highlight the Venezuelan people’s fight for democracy over dictatorship.”



The US led the way in recognizing Guaido after he declared himself interim president at a rally last month. Several Latin American countries, Canada and the major European powers also regard the senior lawmaker as Venezuela’s legitimate head of state.



While in Bogota, Pence will meet with Colombian President Ivan Duque and deliver remarks at a Lima Group meeting focused on “addressing the tragic humanitarian and security crises unfolding in Venezuela and ongoing US efforts to deliver aid to the country.”



Duque, one of Guaido’s biggest backers, on Thursday received the credentials of the Venezuelan opposition leader’s designated ambassador to Colombia, Humberto Calderon Berti. </s> More than 500 Venezuelan soldiers have fled President Nicolás Maduro's crumbling regime for neighboring Colombia, the Colombian migration authority reported Thursday.

The wave of desertions comes as opposition leader Juan Guaidó continues to seek support from the armed forces, which are one of the foundations of Maduro's authority.

Colombia has counted 567 defectors since violent clashes between security forces and activists trying to bring US aid to Venezuela, according to CNN and Colombia's El Tiempo.

Venezuelans are living through one of the world worst's economic crises under Maduro's socialist regime, and are struggling with shortages of food and medicine.

Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have called on Maduro to step down, saying that his presidency is unconstitutional and fraudulent. Guaidó, the leader of Venezuela's National Assembly, has declared himself interim president, on the grounds that Maduro's reign is illegitimate.

Read more: Photos show chaos in Venezuela as protesters and soldiers clash over humanitarian aid shipments

Venezuelan migrants wait for free food being handed out by Colombian residents near the Simon Bolivar International Bridge in La Parada, on Colombia's side of its border with Venezuela, on February 24, 2019. Associated Press

Many saw Guaidó's attempt to transport aid over the Colombian-Venezuelan border at the weekend as a play to test the loyalty of Maduro's soldiers.

While the US, EU, Canada, and most of Latin America recognize Guaidó as Venezuela's interim president, he still needs the military's support to gain de facto control over Venezuela.

The Venezuelan armed forces are an important power base for Maduro. Military leaders in Venezuela publicly backed him last month.

Guaidó has claimed that he had met some members of the military in secret, implying that the military's solidarity with Maduro is not as solid as it may seem.

Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed President Juan Guaido in Caracas, Venezuela. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

The soldiers who left for Colombia are mostly from middle and lower ranks, who are more affected by the country's hyperinflation and shortages, according to The Associated Press.

They also work with faulty equipment and are monitored by intelligence services, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) reported.

Amanda Lapo, a defense and military analyst at the IISS, said that it is not yet certain that increasing defections are a threat to Maduro.

"The defections don't appear to be on a senior enough level to undermine Maduro," she told Business Insider.

Venezuela's military, which employs between 95,000 and 150,000 active soldiers, has wide reach in the country. But the power is concentrated among high-ranking officials, who hold important government positions and control influential companies.

Many are also implicated in human rights abuses and drug trafficking, according to the AP. In other words, military leaders have a lot to lose if they defect.

Venezuelan officers also appear under pressure to support the Maduro regime. One defected soldier told Al Jazeera English that the government would "threaten us. If we weren't part of their political party, they'd lock us up."

Venezuelan police guard the Tienditas International Bridge in Venezuela on February 22, 2019. Associated Press

'Their loyalty is not unanimous anymore'

Lapo said, however, that the defection do show a split in the military.

"What they do reflect is that there is a division in the armed forces. Their loyalty is not unanimous anymore," she said told Business Insider.

"There is a growing gap between the middle and lower ranks who feel the effects of the crisis and the higher ranks which enjoy economic benefits."

Winning the military over has proved a daunting task for Guaidó. Despite saying in a New York Times op-ed that he had offered amnesty to any member of the armed forces who hadn't committed crimes against humanity, he has only garnered the support of one high-ranking officer.

Francisco Yanez, a general in the Venezuelan air force, announced via video that he had broken from Maduro and pledged allegiance to Guaidó via video last month. He also claimed that "90% of the armed forces are not with the dictator," referring to Maduro.

Vladimir Padrino Lopez, Venezuela's defense minister, slammed the defectors and accused them of betraying their country.

He said in a video posted on Twitter: "It doesn't matter how many there are. Those who dishonor their uniforms can't call themselves soldiers."

Guaidó, meanwhile, said he wants to focus on galvanizing support from the military and state workers. He told reporters in Brazil that he will return to Venezuela this weekend, according to The Washington Post. </s> More than 500 Venezuelan soldiers have fled President Nicolás Maduro's crumbling regime for neighboring Colombia, the Colombian migration authority reported Thursday.

The wave of desertions comes as opposition leader Juan Guaidó continues to seek support from the armed forces, which are one of the foundations of Maduro's authority.

Colombia has counted 567 defectors since violent clashes between security forces and activists trying to bring US aid to Venezuela, according to CNN and Colombia's El Tiempo.

Venezuelans are living through one of the world worst's economic crises under Maduro's socialist regime, and are struggling with shortages of food and medicine.

Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have called on Maduro to step down, saying that his presidency is unconstitutional and fraudulent. Guaidó, the leader of Venezuela's National Assembly, has declared himself interim president, on the grounds that Maduro's reign is illegitimate.

Read more: Photos show chaos in Venezuela as protesters and soldiers clash over humanitarian aid shipments

Venezuelan migrants wait for free food being handed out by Colombian residents near the Simon Bolivar International Bridge in La Parada, on Colombia's side of its border with Venezuela, on February 24, 2019. Associated Press

Many saw Guaidó's attempt to transport aid over the Colombian-Venezuelan border at the weekend as a play to test the loyalty of Maduro's soldiers.

While the US, EU, Canada, and most of Latin America recognize Guaidó as Venezuela's interim president, he still needs the military's support to gain de facto control over Venezuela.

The Venezuelan armed forces are an important power base for Maduro. Military leaders in Venezuela publicly backed him last month.

Guaidó has claimed that he had met some members of the military in secret, implying that the military's solidarity with Maduro is not as solid as it may seem.

The soldiers who left for Colombia are mostly from middle and lower ranks, who are more affected by the country's hyperinflation and shortages, according to The Associated Press.

They also work with faulty equipment and are monitored by intelligence services, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) reported.

Amanda Lapo, a defense and military analyst at the IISS, said that it is not yet certain that increasing defections are a threat to Maduro.

"The defections don't appear to be on a senior enough level to undermine Maduro," she told Business Insider.

Venezuela's military, which employs between 95,000 and 150,000 active soldiers, has wide reach in the country. But the power is concentrated among high-ranking officials, who hold important government positions and control influential companies.

Many are also implicated in human rights abuses and drug trafficking, according to the AP. In other words, military leaders have a lot to lose if they defect.

Venezuelan officers also appear under pressure to support the Maduro regime. One defected soldier told Al Jazeera English that the government would "threaten us. If we weren't part of their political party, they'd lock us up."

Venezuelan police guard the Tienditas International Bridge in Venezuela on February 22, 2019. Associated Press

'Their loyalty is not unanimous anymore'

Lapo said, however, that the defection do show a split in the military.

"What they do reflect is that there is a division in the armed forces. Their loyalty is not unanimous anymore," she said told Business Insider.

"There is a growing gap between the middle and lower ranks who feel the effects of the crisis and the higher ranks which enjoy economic benefits."

Winning the military over has proved a daunting task for Guaidó. Despite saying in a New York Times op-ed that he had offered amnesty to any member of the armed forces who hadn't committed crimes against humanity, he has only garnered the support of one high-ranking officer.

Francisco Yanez, a general in the Venezuelan air force, announced via video that he had broken from Maduro and pledged allegiance to Guaidó via video last month. He also claimed that "90% of the armed forces are not with the dictator," referring to Maduro.

Vladimir Padrino Lopez, Venezuela's defense minister, slammed the defectors and accused them of betraying their country.

He said in a video posted on Twitter: "It doesn't matter how many there are. Those who dishonor their uniforms can't call themselves soldiers."

Guaidó, meanwhile, said he wants to focus on galvanizing support from the military and state workers. He told reporters in Brazil that he will return to Venezuela this weekend, according to The Washington Post. </s> “We will fight, or we will die,” the Venezuelan Ambassador, His Excellency Gerardo Argote, said

BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Feb. 21, 2019– The government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, led by President Nicolás Maduro, has been under sustained pressure for some time now, and that pressure became more intense last month, when the United States recognized the Opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, who had declared himself the country’s interim president. Several other countries, including Britain, followed the US lead and also recognized Guaidó.

Notwithstanding its many challenges, the Maduro government continues to function and recently dispatched a new ambassador to Belize a month ago.

Yesterday, Wednesday, the Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to Belize, His Excellency, Ambassador Gerardo Argote, accompanied by his wife, visited Belize’s leading newspaper to update Amandala editor, Russell Vellos, and senior reporter, Rowland A. Parks, on the situation in his country.

Ambassador Argote said he has to tell us about the things that are happening in Venezuela. “Nobody can talk about what is happening in my country better than me,” the ambassador said.

Undoubtedly, there are many obstacles facing the South American country with the largest oil reserve in the Western Hemisphere; the pressures from the United States to oust its leader and the new sanctions imposed by the Donald Trump administration are some of the pressing issues facing the Maduro government.

Ambassador Argote, armed with maps and charts, explained how it was that Juan Guaidó came to prominence. Guaidó, the ambassador said, did not participate in the presidential election against Maduro, who was elected in the snap election that was held last May. The elections were scheduled to have been held in December 2018.

The two presidential candidates who opposed Maduro in the presidential election were Henri Falcón and Javier Bertucc. Juan Guaidó was elected as National Assembly Speaker, Ambassador Argote explained, so he had no right at all to make any claim to being an interim president. Ambassador Argote further explained that the Venezuelan constitution does not make any provision for an interim president.

“You are either the president, or you’re not the president,” he said.

The ambassador spoke of many things, including the daily attacks by the American, British and other media against Venezuela, saying that many lies were presented in their coverage of his country’s problems, which were caused, in the first instance, by the US administration’s hatred of his president, Nicolás Maduro.

“Why does the US hate Maduro?,” we asked him.

Ambassador Argote replied that it was because of former president Hugo Chavez, who was an unapologetic socialist, and was much hated by the US.

Maduro, he said, is a follower of Chavez, and refuses to be a puppet of American imperialism. Because of this, said the ambassador, Maduro is also hated by the US, which will do anything to bring about his downfall, aided by the American media, and media in countries allied with the US.

As regards Juan Guaidó, the ambassador said, “It’s crazy. He is a puppet of the United States. That man won as president of the Congress, so how could he become president?”

When we asked him which international media give fair coverage to Venezuela, Ambassador Argote said that Telsur provides good, accurate coverage, as well as Aljazeera.

He said that CNN and most of the American media deliver “fake news,” as well as the BBC.

“What does the so-called interim president, Guaidó, control?,” we asked Ambassador Argote.

“He controls Facebook and Twitter. He controls the social media networks,” Ambassador Argote explained, as he pulled out two identical pictures showing thousands of Venezuelans in a gathering.

Look carefully at the dates, he said. The two pictures, although they were the same, had different dates. “That’s it, fake news,” Ambassador Argote remarked.

We asked the Ambassador what ordinary Venezuelans think about the situation in his country presently.

“Right now, the normal people are afraid. Mr. Trump says all the options [including military] are on the table,” Ambassador Argote replied.

Ambassador Argote added, “We are a new generation of Venezuelans, we are socialists, we have the same rights.”

 “What is the truth about the food situation, because we are hearing all kinds of things”, we asked him.

Ambassador Argote explained that the people go about their daily business every day, but the Americans are not being truthful when they say that the sanctions were just imposed. “Sanctions have been imposed from 2013 under the Obama administration”, he said.

“Venezuela has two very large oil refineries in Texas and 6,000 gas stations on [the] east coast of the United States, but the US took those,” Ambassador Argote disclosed.

Ambassador Argote added that between the US and the UK, they have taken about 35 billion dollars worth of Venezuelan assets, which Venezuela needs to take care of its citizens.

“Then they turn around and say, you cannot take care of yourself, you are a broken state,” he said.

“How can President Maduro survive the onslaught of the United States and the other powers arrayed against him?” we asked.

“Yesterday, President Maduro accepted an envoy from Russia, who will bring almost 300 tons of medicine from Russia. We will pay for it. We are not begging. They want to put Venezuela as a begging country, but we are not beggars. This is the opposite of what the United States is doing,” he said.

“Venezuela will also be getting shipments of medicine from Cuba, India and China”, Ambassador Argote further explained. “And we will pay for them,” he said.

“What does the future hold for Venezuela?” we asked him.

“We will fight, or we will die,” the Ambassador simply replied.
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.