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Venezuela has condemned Colombia allowing alt-right opposition leaders to hold a seditious meeting within its borders with the purpose of deposing President Nicolas Maduro.
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According to a statement by the Foreign Ministry, members of the opposition group convened on April 3 in order to organize a case against the incumbent president.
The case alleges that Maduro took a role in the sprawling Odebrecht corruption scandal by collecting bribes from the Brazilian construction company, a charge faced by many of his counterparts across Latin America.
It was presented by members of the so-called 'Supreme Court in Exile,' a group of Venezuelan lawyers named by the disqualified legislature as 'magistrate' acting in an illegal, parallel way from exile in Colombia.
A session of Venezuela's legislature recently approved consideration and discussion of the theoretical issue of Maduro's forced removal from office, but evidence substantiating the allegations was rejected as invalid.
The legislators have since deferred a final decision on the 'trial' pending a new debate within the week, thus giving life and continuity to the 'pre-trial.'
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Colombia's role in assisting the opposition forces violates international law. According to Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab, to "lend a territory, an official hall of the Colombian State" is a threat to Venezuela's democracy.
More specifically, the statement accuses Colombian officials of superseding the liberty of political, economic and social systems as well as ignoring standards set by international law regarding non-interference in foreign affairs.
The letter ends by demanding that Colombia establish the appropriate administrative and judicial responsibilities to ensure compliance with both national and international legal standards.
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