Venezuelan National Assembly chief Diosdado Cabello furiously rejected allegations of involvement in a drug cartel yesterday.

Former bodyguard Leamsy Salazar, who defected to the United States, has reportedly alleged that his former boss was head of a drug ring of political and military officials.

Mr Cabello told Blu Radio of Colombia that former bodyguard Mr Salazar was never his head of security, as had been reported.

He acknowledged that Mr Salazar had worked for him, but added: “They want the world to understand that he was the person closest to me. It’s a lie, a lie.”

Newspapers ABC of Spain and the Miami-based El Nuevo Herald claimed this week that Mr Salazar had gone to the US and was co-operating in a prosecution that would name Mr Cabello as head of a drug ring.

President Nicolas Maduro called the episode an imperialist plot and Venezuelan Congressman Pedro Carreno, speaking on behalf of the governing Socialist Unity Party, called the accusations “a new action by the reactionary right” aimed at overturning socialism in Venezuela.

Mr Carreno said that Mr Salazar “deserted the armed forces in December and appeared in the US as a protected witness to defame, slander and submit Mr Cabello to public ridicule.”

Mr Cabello added that he deserted “to hand over his dignity to North American imperialism” and said that supporters of Venezuela’s revolutionary movement were used to this kind of outrage.