Venezuela’s attorney general, who for years played a central role in the government’s repressive apparatus, resigned Wednesday as pressure grew for an overhaul of his office and the country’s justice system, but lawmakers surprisingly appointed him immediately as the acting ombudsman.
Tarek William Saab, a close ally of former President Nicolás Maduro, submitted his resignation to the ruling party-controlled National Assembly without offering a reason for his decision. He had held the role of Venezuela’s chief prosecutor since 2017 despite repeated accusations of human rights violations against him and his office.
