WASHINGTON hardened its brutal sanctions against Venezuela on Monday after a court blocked its favoured opposition candidate from standing in this year’s presidential election.

The Department of the Treasury gave companies transacting with Venezuela’s state-owned mining company until February 13 to wind down operations. 

The department had allowed transactions with the mining company in October after President Nicolas Maduro’s government agreed to level the playing field ahead of this year’s presidential election.

This followed the decision last Friday by the country’s highest court to uphold a ban on the candidacy of Maria Corina Machado, the winner of the primary held by the US-backed opposition faction

Ms Machado, a right-wing former lawmaker, was facing a 15-year ban from running for office for fraud and tax violations as well as being involved in lobbying for the heavy economic sanction imposed on Venezuela by the US over the last decade.

Ms Machado called the court ruling blocking her presidential candidacy last week “judicial criminality.”

Friday’s ruling came more than three months after President Maduro and the US-backed Unitary Platform, reached a deal to hold the election in the second half of 2024, invite international electoral observers and create a process for aspiring presidential candidates.