Venezuela: Parliament Renews Citizen Branch, Ratifies Saab as Attorney General

Caracas, November 2, 2024 (venezuelanalysis.com)—Venezuela’s National Assembly (AN) has appointed and sworn in new Citizen Branch representatives following an evaluation process that included 48 eligible candidates.

Attorney General Tarek William Saab and Ombudsman Alfredo Ruiz have been ratified for new 7-year terms while Gustavo Vizcaíno will be replacing Jhosnel Peraza Machado — in the post since August 2023 — as Comptroller. 

Ruiz and Saab have held their respective posts since 2017 and Vizcaíno comes from heading the Administrative Service of Identification, Migration and Immigration (SAIME) and serving as an alternate rector in the National Electoral Council (CNE).

The Venezuelan legislature is responsible for appointing the three positions. Deputy commissions established an application process before arriving at the three picks from the list of approved candidates.

Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro congratulated Saab, Ruiz and Vizcaíno, urging them to continue defending the nation’s interests.

A 62-year-old former lawmaker and governor, Saab has led several high-profile cases replacing Luisa Ortega Díaz, who fled the country in 2017 after being fired and accused of leading an extorsion operation. 

The newly ratified top prosecutor has garnered attention for tackling corruption in public administration. Recent investigations have uncovered significant irregularities in mayoral offices nationwide, as well as a corruption scheme linked to Venezuela’s Great Housing Mission (GMVV), resulting in the arrest of numerous officials.

In 2023, Saab’s office launched a major corruption probe into the state oil company PDVSA, uncovering billions in losses from untracked crude sales allegedly linked to former Oil Minister Tareck El Aissami. In April, El Aissami was charged with treason, misappropriation of public funds, influence trafficking, and money laundering. Authorities have not provided updates on the prosecution since.

El Aissami was succeeded by Pedro Tellechea, who was also recently arrested on corruption charges and alleged connections to Washington. In October, the Attorney General’s Office announced that Tellechea would be charged with “serious crimes that threaten the nation’s highest interests,” including the suspected transfer of PDVSA’s automated control system to a firm linked to US intelligence services.

A long string of PDVSA personnel have been arrested as well for alleged involvement in the corruption schemes led by both former ministers. The oil portfolio is currently carried by Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez.

In the days prior to his ratification, Saab made international headlines for a controversial statement regarding Brazil’s Lula da Silva. In a televised interview, the attorney general said that the Brazilian president was a “spokesperson of the left” that had been “captured by the CIA,” stating Lula was “not the same man who founded the Workers’ Party.”

In a subsequent social media post, Saab also accused Lula of faking an accident to avoid attending the BRICS summit, held in Kazan, Russia, on October 22-24, at which Brazil vetoed Venezuela’s entry into the organization. 

Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry quickly took distance from Saab’s statements, claiming they were personal and “do not reflect the position of the National Executive,” which remained committed “to building ties of brotherhood and solidarity with Brazil.”

In July 2017, the US Treasury Department sanctioned Saab alongside other Venezuelan officials as part of its regime change efforts against Venezuela.

Venezuela’s government is divided into five branches: the Executive Branch, led by the President; the Legislative Branch, known as the National Assembly; the Judicial Branch, with the Supreme Court as its highest authority; the Electoral Branch, overseen by the National Electoral Council (CNE); and the Citizen Branch, responsible for ensuring compliance with the law by both citizens and government officials, comprising the Attorney General, Comptroller General, and Ombudsman.

Whereas the president and National Assembly deputies are chosen in elections, the other three branches’ posts are defined by the legislature.

Edited by Ricardo Vaz.