Maduro accused of corruption by Venezuela’s former prosecutor

BOGOTA: Venezuela’s former top prosecutor yesterday accused President Nicolas Maduro of ‘‘orchestrating’’ massive acts of corruption, including delivering bags full of cash and receiving at least $US35 million ($NZ48 million) in bribes as he helped Brazilian construction firms fleece the nation of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Luisa Ortega — a onetime ally of the Venezuelan president — also said Maduro had personally handled tens of millions of dollars in illicit campaign contributions for the 2012 reelection of his former mentor and boss, Hugo Chavez, who died from an undisclosed form of cancer.

Ortega made her case in a surreal setting — in neighbouring Colombia, before a panel of judges who consider themselves Venezuela’s legitimate Supreme Court. Adding realism to the proceedings, the ‘‘pretrial hearing’’ was held in Colombia’s ornate and vaulted congressional building, and when Maduro did not appear for the session, he was assigned a public defender.

Ortega said she was providing the judges with bank documents, immigration records and audio recordings to prove her sweeping claims. Those files, however, are under seal, and were not provided to the press. And the court said it would decide on Monday whether a trial was merited.

In a fiery speech, Ortega also asked Venezuela’s armed forces to detain Maduro and urged Interpol to issue an arrest warrant due to the ‘‘seriousness of the charges’’.

By most accounts, none of that will happen. The Maduro Administration considers Ortega and the judges criminals and usurpers, and all are facing arrest warrants in Venezuela.

Ever since she fled Venezuela in August, Ortega has accused Maduro of being complicit in the Odebrecht scandal, but this was her most detailed account of the alleged crimes.

According to Ortega, starting as far back as 2007, the construction giant paid at least $US98 million in bribes to Venezuelan officials in exchange for more than $US3 billion in potential contracts.

Venezuelan opposition Deputy Gabby Arellano said the trial might not have immediate repercussions back home, but it was part of the broader international push to isolate the Maduro Government. — Miami Herald/TCA