Venezuela's former top prosecutor flees across border, Colombia confirms

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Venezuela's former prosecutor general is in Colombia after fleeing across the border with her husband and two of her colleagues, Colombia confirmed on Saturday.

Luisa Ortega Diaz was under investigation for fueling violent anti-government protests.

"She is in Colombia," Colombian Interior Minister Guillermo Rivera said, adding that he did not know whether she had applied for political asylum.

Efrain Antonio Torres, president of the Colombian Congress' Foreign Relations Committee, called on the government to protect Ortega.

Odebrecht is embroiled in an international corruption scandal involving its systematic bribery of Latin American officials in exchange for lucrative public works contracts.

Luisa Ortega (L), one of President Nicolas Maduro's most vocal critics, finishes her speech during the "In Defence of Democracy Forum" held by the opposition in Caracas on August 6, 2017. /AFP Photo

Ortega's departure comes after the release of a taped recording in Mexico, in which she accuses Maduro of involvement in the scandal.

Ortega, a ruling party member who fell out with Maduro and his administration, turned into one of its most vocal critics. She reportedly fled in a speedboat, going from Paraguana Peninsula to the island of Aruba, where she then got on a private plane to Bogota.

According to a statement from Colombia's immigration service, Ortega landed on Friday afternoon "aboard a private flight ... and went through the corresponding immigration process with Colombian authorities."

On Wednesday, Venezuelan officials searched her home, after her husband was accused of running an extortion ring.

Colombia has served as a haven for Venezuelans who oppose their country's ruling socialist party and President Maduro, and Colombia's government, along with its close ally the United States, backs the right-wing opposition struggling to take back power.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency