Venezuela’s attorney general condemns Supreme Court ruling

Venezuela’s attorney general, a supporter of President Nicolas Maduro, condemned a decision by the country’s Supreme Court to effectively dissolve Congress, saying the move “violates the constitutional order” in a rare rebuke from a prominent government official.

The comments by Attorney General Luisa Ortega during a speech on Friday followed a ruling from the high court that in essence handed the powers of the opposition-led National Assembly to the Supreme Court. She described them as a “rupture” of the Constitution that was set forth by former President Hugo Chavez.

“I am worried about these actions,” Ortega said. “It is my obligation to express my great concern for the country.”

It was not immediately clear if Ortega, whose comments on state television were abruptly cut off, planned to take any action as a result of the court’s decision. However, it was a highly unusual show of public criticism from a senior member of Maduro’s government.

Packed with judges loyal to Maduro, the Supreme Court late Wednesday ruled that the National Assembly was in contempt of court because of its handling of an electoral fraud case involving three lawmakers who no longer hold their legislative seats.

The top court’s decision has triggered international condemnation. The secretary-general of the Organization of American States (OAS) has called for an urgent meeting of its member states, and the governments of Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Peru and Chile criticized the ruling.

The court’s decision comes as Maduro and opposition lawmakers have repeatedly clashed over the cash-strapped government’s handling of the budget and its attempts to seek new financing through several multilateral and bilateral loans.

Earlier this month, opposition lawmakers called on the Latin American development bank CAF to deny a $400m loan request from the Maduro government, saying his steps last year to bypass lawmakers and instead seek Supreme Court approval of the 2017 budget were unconstitutional.

Venezuela is also seeking a $5bn loan from China and and has reportedly offered Rosneft, Russia’s largest energy producer, a stake in a joint venture that could potentially help the government raise much-needed cash. Lawmakers have said those financing transactions would be considered illegal without congressional approval.