Venezuela’s ex-President Peres dies

Venezuela’s former president Carlos Andres Peres has died in Florida aged 88 after suffering a heart attack.

Perez served as the country’s leader twice. Once in the mid to late 1970s and again between 1989 and 1993.

His first stint in power was notable for a massive inflow of petrodollars which saw the South American oil giant nicknamed ‘‘Saudi Venezuela.

But, the second was marred by corruption and violence that would see Perez become Latin America’s first leader to be convicted of graft. He was sentenced to 28 months in jail.

Despite surviving two coup attempts – one of which was led by current President Hugo Chavez – he was eventually forced out in 1993, seven months before completing his term.

In recent years he lived in Miami in the US fighting demands by Caracas to have him extradited for his role in a crackdown of riots in 1989.

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