Caracas, September 9 (RHC)-- The Attorney General of Venezuela, Tarek William Saab, spoke out this Sunday after the departure to Spain of the former opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, and ratified absolute respect for the decision of the head of state Nicolás Maduro to grant the corresponding safe-conduct.
From the headquarters of the Public Ministry, the senior Venezuelan official read a statement, where he affirmed that the entity he heads “expresses its absolute respect for the decisions of the Venezuelan Executive, so that in compliance with the right to asylum, guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic in its Article 69, it has granted the corresponding safe-conduct.”
The document also stated that the Public Prosecutor's Office "had first-hand knowledge of the exact moment when citizen Edmundo González Urrutia entered the embassy of the Kingdom of Spain in Caracas."
"We were then informed by the Venezuelan authorities of the request for asylum made by him, within the framework of international human rights law and diplomatic relations between States," according to the document.
The text also states that the governments of Spain and Venezuela agreed to grant Edmundo González safe conduct so that he could leave the country and accept the asylum granted by Spain.
The Public Prosecutor's Office also stated that on September 4th, former candidate González Urrutia expressed his recognition of William Saab as Attorney General of the Republic and the powers of the Public Prosecutor's Office based on the Constitution and the Law.
"This Public Prosecutor's Office has maintained the close communication established during the last few days with the legal representative of Mr. González Urrutia, lawyer José Vicente Haro, for the purposes of the case being investigated by this office," the text of the statement indicated.
The Venezuelan Attorney General said that the Public Ministry played an important role in receiving Edmundo González's legal representative at the institution's headquarters.
On Saturday night, former candidate Edmundo González and his wife left Venezuela, after receiving the safe-conduct passes.
