World

Venezuela court seeks extradition of Maduro opponents

Venezuela court seeks extradition of Maduro opponents

TIL Desk/World/Caracas/Venezuela’s highest court has authorised the government to demand the extradition of exiled former state prosecutor Luisa Ortega and former oil chief Rafael Ramirez — both opponents of President Nicolas Maduro.

The move follows a similar decision on Thursday by the Supreme Court to seek to extradite opposition leader Julio Borges, who is accused of being involved in an alleged attempt to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro last month.

Like Ortega before him, Borges has taken refuge in neighboring Colombia. Ramirez, the former head of state oil company PDVSA and a powerful opponent of Maduro, has fled to Spain. The opposition has dismissed the court as a tool of Maduro, who it says has used his power to wrest control of state institutions.

Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza earlier this week accused Ortega of being an “accomplice” in the August 4 incident, in which Maduro was seen reacting on live television to the first of two explosions as he addressed a military parade in Caracas. Maduro said the blasts were from explosives-laden drones sent to assassinate him, though opposition figures accuse him of fabricating the incident to step up repression.

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