The National Constituent Assembly (ANC, Spanish acronym) approved Thursday the request of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) to prosecute and arrest lawmaker German Ferrer, allegedly involved in an extortion network of the Public Ministry.
The Supreme Court asked the ANC to take the case of Ferrer, deputy of the National Assembly and husband of the ex-prosecutor general Luisa Ortega Diaz, for allegedly leading a network of corruption within the Public Ministry, when this institution was led by Ortega Diaz.
"There is a mountain of evidence to determine the responsibility of this citizen in crimes such as corruption, illicit enrichment, money-laundering, organized crime and extortion," says the request read by the president of the plenipotentiary body, Delcy Rodriguez.
The Plenary Chamber of the Supreme Court issued a ruling Wednesday indicating there is evidence to determine the responsibility of the citizen for the crimes of corruption, illicit enrichment and extortion, provided for in Venezuelan laws. For this reason, the highest court ordered to arrest Ferrer, following the request of the Attorney General Tarek William Saab.
ANC: body receptive to complaints
During the session, the constituent member Diosdado Cabello took the floor to propose the ANC be the receiving agency for complaints related to this corruption ring.
On Wednesday, several constituent members handed over to the Attorney General's Office "documents, original evidence of bank accounts at a bank in the Bahamas of $ 6 million, where Mr. German Ferrer is directly involved. He opened two accounts each for a million dollars with prosecutors in exercise, " Cabello said.
Prosecutors had the task of investigating corruption allegations involving companies located in the Orinoco Oil Belt, denounced by President Nicolas Maduro, he added.
He noted that prosecutors charged the involved companies for not prosecuting them. "They started doing their job but the mafia started to work off-the-books and instead of investigating they did the work of the mafia corporation of extorting companies."
For this reason, he urged the investigation, led by the High Court, to determine legal liability that former prosecutor Luisa Ortega Diaz may have, since she led the Public Ministry while the network of corruption operated.
Removing immunity to lawmaker German Ferrer
In addition, Cabello requested to remove immunity to Ferrer, to start the prosecution process of the lawmaker. "We have no doubt that Mr. German Ferrer gathers sufficient criminal record so that his parliamentary immunity is removed and he be submitted to justice."
In addition, deputy to the ANC Herman Escarra ratified that it is an obligation of the Constituent Assembly to impose a State of Law and Justice and in compliance with Venezuelan laws.
"We are doing the right thing. Deputy Cabello, heroically and very clearly with strong evidence, allows us to evaluate and decide" on this investigation, that would entail "a request for authorization from this Assembly to continue the trial and take the measures that the rule of law requires," he said.
"That is why I ask that the request for authorization converted into a removal of parliamentary immunity be approved not only by unanimity but by acclamation because what Diosdado Cabello is facing and proposing is not an intersubjective issue. What we are securing are the interests and survival of the state and the mandate of justice of this Assembly," he added.
Likewise, the ANC vice president, Isaias Rodriguez, ratified that due to the plenipotentiary nature, the constituent power has the power to authorize the TSJ to prosecute officials with parliamentary immunity who have committed flagrant crimes.
"The National Constituent Assembly, which having full powers before any public power, authorizes the Supreme Court of Justice and its Plenary Chamber to continue the procedure and we are not violating any procedure of this Constitution," he said and reiterated that so far it has proceeded as established by the Constitution.
ANC's first vice president, Elvis Amoroso, explained that no elected deputy can use parliamentary immunity to shield himself from crimes that are categorized in Venezuelan laws.
"Article 200 of the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela defines the extent of the immunity of a member of parliament," said Amoroso, who explained that "immunity, according to Article 200, reaches exclusively to that parliamentary function, not for any deputy to commit crimes."
He added that, in view of the fact that the National Assembly is held in contempt of Venezuela's laws and therefore its acts have neither efficacy nor legal efficiency, "the plenipotentiary Constituent National Assembly is in the faculty with its right and its plenipotentiary duty, as the original constituent power, to authorize the Supreme Court of Justice to continue the prosecution of this deputy."
ANC President: Ex prosecutor attacked the constitutional order
ANC president Delcy Rodriguez denounced that former prosecutor, Luisa Ortega Diaz, violated the constitutional order by allowing impunity for the crimes of political violence that has occurred in the country in recent months, which were promoted by extremist sectors of the opposition.
She pointed out that the actions of Ortega Diaz respond to the interests of imperialist powers, promoted by the United States government, that violate the stability and sovereignty of the country, reason why she called her an "imperial agent".
"I want to point out to this ex-official as an imperial agent, who sought the intervention of Venezuela and the destabilization of the Republic. (Her actions) meant for Venezuela an attack against the Venezuelan state. She is an imperial agent pursuing imperialist objectives, which is the intervention of Venezuela. History will judge her, but justice will also judge her," Rodriguez decried.
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