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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

‘Institutional rape’ in Venezuela, Brazil’s chief prosecutor claims

Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazil’s attorney general is sharply criticizing the recent ouster of his counterpart in Venezuela.

Attorney General Rodrigo Jano said Wednesday that the removal of Venezuelan chief prosecutor Luisa Ortega Diaz was “an institutional rape” and that it eroded the independence of Venezuela’s justice system.

Ortega had fled Venezuela and is attending Wednesday’s meeting of Mercosur trade bloc prosecutors in the capital, Brasilia.

She has promised to provide proof that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been involved in corruption.

Maduro blasted Ortega on Tuesday, saying she was working with Washington to damage his administration.

Ortega was removed by a new, pro-government constitutional assembly in early August. She fled with her husband, whose arrest was ordered by the country’s supreme court.