FORMER Spanish prime minister Felipe Gonzalez plans to go to Venezuela this weekend to assist lawyers defending imprisoned opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez.

Mr Gonzalez will travel to Colombia today and will decide in Bogota whether to visit Venezuela, according to his spokesman Joaquin Tagar.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro criticised Mr Gonzalez after he announced that he would advise Mr Lopez and his supporters.

Mr Lopez has been in prison for 15 months while on trial for organising violent protests in 2014 aimed at toppling the government. Forty-four people died in the violence and thousands were arrested.

Mr Tagar said yesterday that Mr Gonzalez needed to assess Venezuelan reaction to his planned trip before deciding whether to fly to Caracas.

Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry has said that Mr Gonzalez is not welcome there.

He is a lawyer and led Spain from 1982 to 1996.