Nobel Institute says that Mara Corina Machado can

WASHINGTON (AP) — The organization that oversees the Nobel Peace Prize is throwing cold water on rumors that Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado gave her recent prize to President Donald Trump.

Once the Nobel Peace Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, transferred or shared with others, the Norwegian Nobel Institute said in a brief statement on Friday.

“The decision is final and valid for all time,” he said.

The statement comes after Machado said he would like to give or share the prize with Trump, who oversaw the successful US operation to capture authoritarian Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. He faces drug trafficking charges in New York.

“I certainly would love to be able to tell him personally that we believe that the Venezuelan people, because this is an award from the Venezuelan people, we certainly want to give it to him and share it with him,” Machado told News host Sean Hannity on Monday. “What he has done is historic. It is a great step towards a democratic transition.”

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Machado dedicated the award to Trump, along with the people of Venezuela, shortly after its announcement. Trump has coveted and openly campaigned to win the Nobel Prize himself since his return to office.

However, when it comes to governing Venezuela after Maduro’s capture, Trump has so far backed someone else: interim president Delcy Rodríguez, who was vice president during Maduro’s government.

He has called Machado a “very nice woman” but said she currently does not have the support within Venezuela to govern. He told Hannity on Thursday that Machado plans to visit him next week and called a possible Peace Prize offer a “great honor.”

A representative for Machado did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.