VENEZUELA
Chronic Condition
Venezuela’s former oil minister died in prison Wednesday, where he had been incarcerated on corruption charges since last year.
The chief prosecutor’s office said Nelson Martinez, who was also the former head of the state-run oil giant PDVSA, suffered from a serious and chronic illness that led to his death, the Associated Press reported.
He was probably no angel – corruption is endemic in Venezuela to the great rage of its struggling population. But the incident is nevertheless likely to raise questions about the conditions under which jailed opposition figures and former government officials are being held.
Two months earlier, a Caracas councilman, Fernando Alban, died after falling from a police building. The government claims he jumped, but the opposition insists he was murdered.
The authorities are also holding five former executives from Citgo – PDVSA’s US unit – who are American citizens, AP noted.
Rafael Ramirez, another former head of PDVSA, blamed President Nicolas Maduro for Martinez’s death, saying he had repeatedly been denied visits from his family doctors.
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