The National Assembly of Venezuela appointed human rights lawyer Larry Devoe as acting attorney general and former Attorney General Tarek William Saab as acting ombudsperson.
Following the resignations of Tarek William Saab as attorney general and Alfredo Ruiz as ombudsperson, National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez stated that according to constitutional procedure, the parliament must form a nominations committee and, in the meantime, interim officials would be appointed for the two positions.
After the conclusion of the regular session on Wednesday, February 25, the National Assembly swore in Devoe and Saab.
First, the president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, swore in lawyer Larry Devoe as acting attorney general, who stated: “I swear to uphold the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the Organic Law of the Public Ministry, and other laws related to the exercise of the function of the Public Ministry. I swear to work tirelessly to help consolidate a high-quality justice system for our people, a justice system that would leaves behind the discrimination that it historically inherited. For a justice system that would recognize and make evident the principle acknowledged in Article 26 of our Constitution, I swear accordingly.”
Subsequently, Tarek William Saab was sworn in, stating:
I swear, in the name of a Constitution that in its title 3 speaks of human rights, duties, and constitutional guarantees, that we coordinated as president of that commission in the Constituent Assembly, to draft together with the Popular Movement of this country and the National Movement of Human Rights, to once again rise to an important responsibility, which we assumed during an extremely difficult time in the years 2015, 2016, and a few months of the year 2017.
I swear that the role that we had to fulfill with dignity and honor while I was Attorney General of the Republic to maintain democratic coexistence and peace, confronting aggressions never before seen in the recent history of our country, where we could see how during the period that we took charge of the Public Ministry, we had to face foreign aggressions, assassination attempts, maritime incursions, mercenary-style operations like Operation Gideon, coup attempts like the one in April 2019, drone attack attempts on August 4, 2018, and so many other violent actions, and we were able to maintain and safeguard the peace of the republic.
Furthermore, I would like, citizen president, Jorge Rodríguez, to commend the work of the officials who have accompanied us during this time to create unprecedented programs in the history of the Public Ministry, programs for the care of children, women, the elderly, and the defense of animals, which I swear I will continue to carry out through the mandate of the Ombudsperson. I swear.
Appointment of preliminary evaluation committee
During the regular session on Wednesday, the National Assembly (AN) approved the appointment of the Preliminary Evaluation Committee which will be responsible for initiating the process for the selection of the new attorney general and ombudsperson.
The committee will be chaired by Deputy Giuseppe Alessandrello, who will coordinate the work of this multidisciplinary team composed of parliamentarians from various political factions, to ensure compliance with legal deadlines.
The committee comprises of the following deputies: Rodbexa Poleo, Gloria Castillo, Willys Medina, Carlos Mogollón, Carolina García, Roy Daza, José Villarroel, Pablo Pérez, Bernabé Gutiérrez, Julio Hernández, Antonio Ecarri, and Luis Romero.
The immediate mission of this preliminary committee is to work for the formation of the Nominations Committee, which will be responsible for receiving, evaluating, and selecting the profiles of citizens aspiring to become the new attorney general and the new ombudsperson.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/JRE
