Venezuela’s Supreme Court has called for opposition leader Juan Guaido to be stripped of his parliamentary immunity, in a move that could soon lead to his imprisonment.
On Monday, Supreme Court Justice Maikel Moreno said Guaido should be prosecuted for violating a travel ban, after the National Assembly leader toured several Latin American countries a few weeks ago.
The pro-government Constituent Assembly is expected to back the request over the coming days.
The court ruling comes at a time when Guaido and President Nicolas Maduro are locked in a battle for power in the oil-rich, but cash-poor country.
The Supreme Court has already banned Guaido from holding office for a period of 15 years and arrested his chief of staff on terrorism charges.
In mid-January, the opposition leader took to the streets of Caracas and announced himself as the country’s rightful interim president.
More than 50 countries, including the U.S. and most Latin American and European countries, have since recognized Guaido as the legitimate leader of Venezuela.
It has thrust the OPEC producer into uncharted territory — whereby it now has an internationally-recognized government, with no control over state functions, running parallel to Maduro’s regime.
Fabiana Rosales, a 26-year-old activist and the wife of opposition leader Juan Guaido, recently said she had grave concerns about the safety of her husband.
“I fear for my husband’s life,” Roslaes said, when speaking alongside President Donald Trump in the Oval Office late last month.
Rosales was accompanied to the White House by the wife and sister of Roberto Marrero, Guaido’s right-hand man, who was arrested and detained late last month.
Last week, analysts told CNBC that Guaido was clearly at risk of arrest, but warned there would be “huge blow-back” from the international community if Maduro made a move against him.
Pressure is building on Maduro to step down.
The socialist leader has overseen a long economic meltdown, marked by hyperinflation, mounting U.S. sanctions and collapsing oil production.
As a result, some three million Venezuelans have fled abroad over the past five years to escape worsening living conditions.
Nonetheless, Maduro has retained the crucial backing of the military.
