Ortega told the region's prosecutors that Maduro removed her in order to stop a probe linking him and his inner circle to nearly $100 million in bribes from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht. The company last year admitted in a plea agreement with the U.S. Justice Department to paying bribes to officials throughout Latin America in exchange for lucrative contracts.
Ortega denounced the government takeover of the prosecutor's offices and said many of her colleagues have faced persecution.
“Many have had to leave the country for fear of reprisal and for their lives,” she said.
Ortega first spoke out against Maduro in late March following a Supreme Court decision to nullify the opposition-controlled congress. She denounced the decision as a “rupture” of the constitutional order. The decision was later reversed amid widespread international criticism, but sparked a protest movement that has left more than 120 dead.
Maduro and his allies have frequently lashed out against Ortega, accusing her of being part of an opposition effort to overthrow Maduro. Diosdado Cabello, the leader of Venezuela's socialist party, has repeatedly referred to her as the “traitor prosecutor.”
On the night of the constitutional assembly's election, Maduro encouraged delegates to quickly declare her office in a state of emergency and remove her from office. Within days, military officers blocked her from entering her office.
Ortega fled on the back of a motorcycle.
Good info...thanks
Good info...thanks
I don’t feel too sorry for Chavistas with buyer’s remorse. We’ve surely got a few of them applying for asylum here. I say let the ones who were active supporters remain in Venezuela, suffer with their victims, and work to undo the product of their ideology. The last thing we need is more socialists setting up shop here.
Odebrcht bump