US Treasury Sanctions Venezuelan President

Local Editor

The US Treasury Department announced it is sanctioning Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, describing the Constituent Assembly elections held in the country on Sunday as "illegitimate."

In an update on Monday, the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control said it had added Maduro to its Specially Designated Nationals [SDN] list.

This means that any US-based assets of his have been frozen, and American citizens are forbidden from conducting any business with him.

"The following individual has been added to OFAC's SDN List: MADURO MOROS, Nicolas... President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela," the update read.

According to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, the White House considers the elections held in Venezuela to be illegitimate and holds Maduro responsible.

"Yesterday's illegitimate elections confirm that Maduro is a dictator who disregards the will of the Venezuelan people," Mnuchin said in a statement.

"By sanctioning Maduro, the United States makes clear our opposition to the policies of his regime and our support for the people of Venezuela who seek to return their country to a full and prosperous democracy."

Maduro promised to continue to protect his country, despite the newly announced sanctions. In a televised address to the nation, the president emphasized that he does not "take orders from the empire," telling his American counterpart, "Keep up your sanctions, Donald Trump!"

"I am proud of the alleged sanctions... because I do not wag my tail like a lying dog," Maduro said Monday after the election commission announced Sunday's voter's turnout. "I am punished for defending the natural resources of Venezuelan lands."

"I am the independent president of a free nation," he said, according to Globovision. "You're with Trump or Venezuela, you're with Trump or with democracy, you're with Trump or the free world."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team