Venezuela on Saturday ordered opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez and his mother to show up at the prosecutor’s office to face charges for “presumed irregularities” dating from 1998. Lopez, 41, and his mother 66 year-old Antonieta Mendoza de Lopez, are accused of “presumed irregularities” concerning donations made by the state-run Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) to the Civil Association Justice First, a group that Lopez founded. The group became a political party in 2000. Both have been ordered to appear at the prosecutor’s office to be charged, the prosecution said in a statement, without detailing the charges. Lopez, a charismatic politician with a winning smile, has led the center-right Popular Will party since 2009.
