Venezuela's top prosecutor said on Monday that his office had requested the arrest of one of the closest allies of opposition leader María Corina Machado, less than 12 hours after his release from a detention facility as part of a government move to free those facing politically motivated accusations.

Until the US spirited Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro away to a jail cell in New York, the strongman’s image and voice dominated the airwaves.

Earlier this month, Guanipa’s family said they had also been able to see him in person for the first time in months, and that he was in good physical health.