- Region:
- America
- Category:
- Politics
Venezuelan Supreme Court Judge Denounces Maduro Government, Flees To U.S.
![Venezuela Supreme Court judge Christian Zerpa flees to US]()
Venezuela Supreme Court judge Christian Zerpa has fled to the US to protest over President Nicolás Maduro's second term in office. Venezuela Supreme Court judge Christian Zerpa flees to US
A Venezuelan Supreme Court judge who once supported President Nicolás Maduro has fled to the United States and publicly denounced Maduro's re-election days before the inauguration.
A Venezuelan Supreme Court justice and longtime government loyalist who fled the socialist country for a new life in the United States called Nicolas Maduro an incompetent president leading the once-wealthy country to ruins.
Christian Zerpa’s embarrassing defection came days before Maduro begins his second term amid calls from critics and the international community to relinquish power.
Zerpa on Monday accused Venezuela’s high court of becoming a tool of Maduro’s inner circle, lacking any judicial independence since he and a group of ruling party members were appointed to the bench in 2015.
“Nicolas Maduro doesn’t know the constitution, and he doesn’t know the laws,” Zerpa said in a Florida news conference. “This has no other name than a dictatorship.”
A once wealthy oil nation, Venezuela is in the throes of a historic crisis after two decades of socialist rule. Millions have fled, while runaway inflation leaves those remaining behind struggling to afford scarce food and medicine.
