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WORLD NEWS Friday 26 January 2018

Venezuela prosecutor orders arrest of former state oil chief

dor at the United Nations been arrested, including safe passage to challenge
after falling out with Ven- two former oil ministers and him in primaries for the
ezuela’s socialist president, Ramirez’s cousin, Diego presidential election this
Nicolas Maduro. Salazar. Salazar is jailed on year as a candidate of the
Saab said he is preparing to suspicion of helping siphon socialist ruling party.
ask the international police off $1.6 billion to banks in The national constituent
agency Interpol to issue a the European principality assembly has approved
“red alert” for Ramirez’s ar- of Andorra. holding the presidential
rest. He called Ramirez the Ramirez, who ran PDVSA for election by the end of
“father of corruption” at more than a decade, re- April — drawing broad in-
the oil company. signed from his three-year ternational condemnation
“You used to make million- U.N. post in early Decem- for setting the vote months
aires of your family mem- ber on orders from Maduro. ahead of when it has tradi-
bers,” Saab said on state Both were close to the late tionally taken place.
television. “Mr. Ramirez, we President Hugo Chavez, In yet another criminal
inform you that you are cit- but their rivalry became case, Saab said he is open-
In this Jan. 27, 2016 photo, Rafael Ramirez stands outside U.N. ed by this ministry.” apparent last year when ing an investigation into To-
headquarters. Ramirez, who recently resigned as Venezuela’s Venezuela sits atop the Ramirez began publishing mas Guanipa, a member of
UN ambassador, is wanted on suspicion of money laundering
and embezzlement related to the state oil company, PDVSA, world largest oil reserves, articles critical of Maduro. the opposition-controlled
said Attorney General Tarek William Saab on Thursday, Jan. 25, but production levels have Ramirez has denied tak- National Assembly. Without
2018. crashed along with the ing part in any corruption providing any details, Saab
(AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews) economy in a deepening scheme and has not made said Guanipa is suspected
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) move that further isolates crisis after nearly two de- his whereabouts public af- of inciting violence during
— Venezuela’s chief pros- the Latin American nation cades of mismanagement ter leaving New York. On anti-government protests
ecutor ordered the arrest from the international com- under socialist rule. The Sunday, he published an last year that resulted in
of the former head of the munity. Rafael Ramirez, the country is beset by hyper- article asking Maduro for more than 120 dead.q
state oil company Thurs- former head of the PDVSA inflation and shortages of
day, accusing him of bank- state oil company, is want- food and medicine.
rupting the downtrodden ed on suspicion of money Ramirez’s associates have
country’s primary source of laundering and embezzle- been a target of the Saab-
income. ment, Attorney General led crackdown on corrup-
Officials also announced Tarek William Saab said. tion at the troubled PDVSA
that Venezuela is expelling Ramirez recently resigned that began late last year.
the Spanish ambassador, a as Venezuela’s ambassa- Dozens of officials have

Brazil:

Undeterred by appeal, Lula vows to run

By MAURICIO SAVARESE rests with da Silva, but the ian people in motion.”
Associated Press once wildly popular former Party stalwarts at Thurs-
SAO PAULO (AP) — A day leader may ultimately be day’s meeting doubled
after a corruption convic- ineligible or even jailed. down on their insistence
tion cast serious doubts on His chances of running that da Silva will run and
his future, Former Brazilian went down sharply on that nobody is entertaining
President Luiz Inacio Lula Wednesday when an ap- alternatives.
da Silva insisted on Thurs- pellate court upheld a “There is no plan B to Lula’s
day that he’ll be on Oc- graft conviction against candidacy,” said party
tober’s presidential ballot, him and even increased chairwoman Gleisi Hoff-
while also appearing to ac- the sentence to more than mann.
knowledge that he could 12 years. “Lula is plan A to Z.”
be sidelined. “I hope this candidacy A few hundred members
The comments to high- does not depend on Lula,” symbolically voted in favor
ranking members of his left- the former leader told of da Silva’s candidacy
leaning Workers’ Party un- Thursday’s meeting, hinting and the party intends to
derscored the conundrum that others in the Workers’ register him on Aug. 15, the
facing the party that gov- Party must be ready to car- last day to do so.
erned Brazil between 2003 ry forward its vision for the Many members expressed
and 2016: Its best chance country. interest in registering da Sil-
of winning the presidency “You have to put the Brazil- va even if he is in jail.q