VENEZUELAN usurper Juan Guaido has been banned from holding public office for 15 years by the country’s financial ombudsman following alleged financial irregularities with investigations underway into his expenses.

The Venezuelan government comptroller Elvis Amoroso is concerned with over 91 unauthorised foreign trips made by the unelected president of the defunct National Assembly worth US $160,000.

He warned that “no public servant salary can justify” this.

Mr Amoroso ordered Venezuela’s tax office to carry out investigations into Mr Guaido’s expenses.

“We presume that he falsified data in his [wealth] declaration and [illegally] received money from international bodies,” Mr Amoroso said.

“He has usurped his public functions and committed actions with foreign governments which harm the Venezuelan people,” both of which are punishable under the country’s laws. 

Mr Guaido has been trying to depose the democratically elected President Nicolas Maduro since January when he declared himself interim president.

He is supported by Washington which wants Mr Maduro to step aside so it can take control of the state-owned oil fields and open them to the private sector.

However Mr Guaido’s attempted coup has met mass opposition among Venezuelans and the armed forces remain loyal to Mr Maduro.

The Attorney General has initiated criminal investigations against Mr Guaido and frozen his assets over his attempted coup and attacks on the national sovereignty of Venezuela.

Mr Guaido dismissed the ban, claiming the Constituent Assembly and financial ombudsman “do not exist.”

He has called for his dwindling number of supporters to attend an opposition rally today over another blackout of the country’s electricity.

It is likely to be dwarfed by a pro-Maduro rally with the Bolivarian government insisting the electricity network has been subjected to sabotage by the opposition, including by cyber attacks.

Mr Maduro said the latest blackout was caused when a sniper shot a transformer at the Simon Bolivar Hydroelectric Centre in Bolivar State.

“We have the bullets and we are working out the calibre and who is responsible,” he stated.

“The attack was carried out with a rifle from an elevated area. The person who did it was a mercenary sent by the coup-mongering opposition. 

“US imperialism is behind this without a doubt.”

Venezuelan ambassador to the United Nations Samuel Moncada called on the security council to condemn the “terrorist attacks” on Venezuela’s electricity “as part of a campaign of aggression supported by foreign powers, whose policies and practices represent a threat to world peace and security.”