Venezuela: Ortega slams Maduro

Venezuela: Ortega slams Maduro
By Euronews
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Venezuela's ex-chief prosecutor says "rights are dead" in her home country and claims evidence of Maduro corruption

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Venezuela’s fugitive ex-attorney-general, Luisa Ortega has lashed out again at her former boss.

Speaking in Brazil after fleeing her home country due to alleged ‘political persecution’, she claims to have evidence that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was involved in corruption with the construction firm Odebrecht. She claims the company paid $100 million (84 million euros) to officials in Maduro’s government.

“In Venezuela, the death of rights has occurred. The stability of the region is at risk.”

“Everything that’s occurring to me is due to a series of complaints that I had made, but especially for attacking the corruption.”

Odebrecht admitted in a settlement with US and Brazilian prosecutors to paying bribes across 12 countries to win contracts. According to a US court ruling, between 2001 and 2016, Odebrecht paid about $788 million (667 million euros) in bribes in countries including Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela.

Back in Venezuela video images aired on national TV appeared to show police searching Ortega’s Caracas home. The commentary says expensive items were recovered which Ortega could only have acquired through coruption.

Ortega used to be a key member of President Maduro’s government but broke with it last March. His new controversial constitutional assembly whose installation has been called dictatorial by governments worldwide, fired her. She later fled to Colombia and is now in Brazil.

Maduro has said he will seek Ortega’s arrest accusing her of being at the top of a corruption network and of working for the United States.

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