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The Supreme Justice Tribunal (TSJ) of Venezuela ordered the arrest of former National Assembly (AN) President Julio Borges on Wednesday, accusing him of public instigation, high treason and the attempted murder of President Nicolas Maduro.
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The court decided to strip the parliamentary immunity of Borges and Juan Requenses, also an opposition lawmaker, and said the trial will be carried out by ordinary criminal courts, according to article 378 of the criminal code. It also stated that Borges won't have a preliminary hearing for probable cause, according to decision N. 1684 taken on November 4, 2008.
"As the Supreme Justice Tribunal demanded the removal of immunity to continue the trials against citizens Julio Borges and Juan Requesens, I ask those who agree with the removal of the parliamentary immunity, at this sovereign ANC, to do it as we're used to," said the president of the National Constituent Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, after which all present raised their hands.
The government also ordered the detention of six members of the army on charges of attempted first-degree murder, which will be judged according to laws against organized crime and the financing of terrorism.
The decision orders the arrest of Captain Jose del Valle Nuñez Martinez; First Lieutenant Benny Ortiz; Lieutenant Luis Molina; First Sargent Darwin Moreno; First Sargent Jesus Gomez, Victor Hernandez and Lizneidy Guerrero.
The court ordered the arrests after it was proven the accused participated in the attempted magnicide of President Maduro on August 4, while he was at the 81st Anniversary of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) on Bolivar Avenue in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela.
Borges, who lives in Colombia, has not commented publicly on the accusations, but did defend his colleague Requenses. Borges said it was a case of political persecution because they openly promoted the sanctions against the government and refused to sign the reconciliation agreement in the Dominican Republic.
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