25 August, 2017
Following the removal of the former prosecutor, Luisa Ortega, from her post after she accused Maduro of violating human rights and eroding democracy, she fled Venezuela for Colombia last week with her lawmaker husband.
Ms Ortega said she had evidence implicating Maduro and other top officials in corruption involving Brazilian constructor Odebrecht and other companies, which she did not name.
Venezuela's government, which says Ortega is a traitor and hypocrite, has said it requested an Interpol arrest warrant for Ortega and her spouse, German Ferrer.
Ortega's visit to Brazil, Latin America's most populous nation and largest economy, came a day after Maduro claimed that she was working with Washington to damage his administration and said Venezuela would ask for an global arrest warrant for Ortega. She is also being accused of ignoring corruption cases while she was the top prosecutor. He also blamed her for the deaths of protesters during the widespread anti-government demonstrations that have taken place since April. But Ortega was spotted by reporters in Panama, where it was confirmed that she was going to Brazil.
"I want to denounce, in front of the world, a grave situation in Venezuela: that of excessive corruption", Ortega said at the conference. The accusations include Jorge Rodriguez and Diosdado Cabello, two of the most popular members of the PSUV party.
Ortega, who for years served as a pro-government attorney general, was sacked by Maduro's "national constituents assembly" (ANC), a fraudulent legislative body after she began filing charges of human rights abuses against the security forces of the Maduro regime.
The investigation has led to prosecutions in several countries in Latin America where Odebrecht and other Brazilian construction companies operated. The new prosecutor responded to the accusations, saying there is no validity in what she can say after ten years of not taking any action. But that changed earlier this year when she began opposing and criticizing some of the plans and decisions by the government.
In response to Ortega's criticisms, the Maduro regime has initiated a witch hunt against Ortega, with the replacement attorney general, Tarek William Saab, accusing her of "grave moral and ethical infractions". A few days ago, Venezuelan authorities entered her property and confiscated a number of items, including a computer.
