Venezuelan opposition politician met with prosecutors after leaving Argentine diplomatic compound

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MEXICO CITY (AP) — Venezuela’s attorney general said Friday an opposition politician met with prosecutors after leaving the Argentine diplomatic compound in the capital, Caracas, where he had sheltered for nine months to avoid arrest.

Attorney General Tarek William Saab said in a statement that Fernando Martínez “voluntarily presented himself” before authorities and gave a statement after leaving the diplomatic facility Thursday. Saab added that Martínez “decided to collaborate actively” with the prosecution.

Martínez was one of the six members of Venezuela’s political opposition whom the government of Argentine President Javier Milei allowed into the ambassador’s residence in March, when authorities loyal to the ruling party issued warrants for their arrest, accusing them of promoting acts of violence to destabilize the country.

Two people familiar with the situation at the facility confirmed to The Associated Press that Martínez was home Thursday night after leaving the ambassador’s residence. The people spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

The conditions under which Martinez left the compound remain unclear. Those who remain at the Argentine ambassador’s home include the campaign manager and communications director of opposition powerhouse Maria Corina Machado.

Since late November, the group has denounced the constant presence of intelligence service agents and police outside the residence. It has also accused the government of President Nicolás Maduro of cutting electricity and water services.

The government has denied the allegations.

Martínez was involved in a parallel government that the opposition created after Maduro’s reelection in 2018 which was widely considered a sham. A minister of communications and transportation in the 1990s, he participated in negotiations between the opposition and the government.