What will Edmundo González face if he does not attend the third summons?

Edmundo González Urrutia, opposition leader and standard-bearer of the Democratic Unitary Platform, finds itself in an increasingly delicate legal situation when facing a Third summons from the Public Prosecutor’s Office regarding an investigation into the election results.

If González does not attend this new call, the consequences could be serious, since the Prosecutor’s Office has warned that if he does not show up an arrest warrant will be issued against him.

The summons, scheduled for this Friday, is part of a series of actions seeking to investigate the accusations made by the presidential candidate, who claimed to have compiled 83.5% of the electoral records to prove alleged fraud in the presidential elections of July 28.

These minutes, released by the Unitary Platform and described as “false” by the government of Nicolás Maduro, has led the Public Prosecutor’s Office to investigate the alleged commission of several crimes, including usurpation of functions, forgery of public documents and criminal association.

The Chavista attorney general, Tarek William Saab, said that according to Venezuelan jurisprudence it is permitted to cite up to three times a person before taking more severe measures. Given González Urrutia’s refusal to attend the first two summons, the Prosecutor’s Office prepared the third and final summons.

The diplomat could face not only the deprivation of his freedom, but also an irregular judicial process as has occurred with the political prisoners of the Chavista government. In addition, The risk of flight indicated by the Prosecutor’s Office could be used to justify stricter precautionary measures, further complicating the situation for the opposition leader.