Venezuela's Supreme Court has annulled the acquittal of a dissident army general linked to a 2002 coup against President Hugo Chavez, raising more charges of political persecution of government opponents, lawyers argued last night.
The reversal is the second ruling against army rebels by a new Supreme Court that was appointed under a recent court reform. Opposition leaders say the measure allowed the left-wing president to pack the tribunal with allies.
The general, Carlos Alfonzo, was acquitted by a court last year of trying to incite a protest against Chavez. He was one of the leaders of an April 2002 coup that briefly ousted Chavez from the presidency of the world's fifth largest oil exporter.
"The acquittal has been revoked and the case will return once again to the appeals stage," the general's attorney, Juan Carlos Gutierrez said yesterday.
"The legal process against Gen. Carlos Alfonzo has been characterized throughout by its political nature and the government's influence on all proceedings," he said.
Last month, the Supreme Court annulled another ruling that cleared four top military officers of leading the 2002 coup.
The state attorney general said that decision would open the way for new prosecutions.
The 2002 coup sparked nearly three years of confrontation between Chavez and his foes, who say the self-described socialist revolutionary is copying Cuba's communist model of government and steadily becoming more authoritarian.