Venezuela government bans Guaidó from office for 15 years

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó will be barred from holding further public office for 15 years, the maximum allowed by law, the state financial controller Elvis Amoroso has announced.

Amoroso, an appointee of President Nicolas Maduro, made the announcement Thursday on state broadcaster VTV. He claimed there were inconsistencies in Guaido's personal financial disclosures and accused him of accepting gifts from foreign governments.

Amoroso said Guaido had been staying in "luxurious hotels" without "justifying who was financing his exuberant accommodations" both in Venezuela and abroad.

Guaidó, head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, declared himself interim president in January.

He has the support of more than 50 countries, including the US.

Edward Rodriguez, a spokesperson for Guaido, told that a ban could only be issued by the judiciary and added that "all usurped authority is ineffective and its acts are nullified."

Guaido often has referred to Maduro as a usurper, in reference to last year's widely criticized presidential elections.

Guaido was named the leader of the country's National Assembly in January, after being elected as a representative for the state of Vargas in 2016. He has since been recognized as Venezuela's legitimate interim president by more than 50 countries, including the United States.

This is not the first time the Maduro government had banned an opposition leader from running for office. A similar sanction was imposed over former opposition leader Henrique Capriles in 2017.