Acting President of Venezuela Delcy Rodríguez announced the launch of the telephone hotline 0800EXTORSION, aimed at ending payoffs and extortion in the justice system. "I want to put an end to the matraca (extortion)," she said at the start of nationwide consultations on criminal justice reform. Rodríguez emphasized that this measure is intended to protect honest police officers, prosecutors and judges who suffer because of the reputation imposed by corrupt colleagues, and she called for an end to tarnishing the dignity of institutions that have proven their devotion in the most difficult moments of political violence in the country.
Recalling her experience working as a lawyer, Rodríguez pointed to persistent problems of corruption in Venezuelan courts, admitting that while institutions are gradually being cleansed, this is not enough. She stressed the need to create a justice system that corresponds to the "historic moment" and the moral demands of Venezuela. The reform, she said, is an important step toward a peaceful Venezuela, where citizens can resolve their problems without resorting to crime. Noting in particular the work of magistrates in the field, Rodríguez added that the nationwide consultations will help to hear the people's ideas, although some diagnoses have already been made.
Full version: Delcy Rodríguez anuncia línea 0800EXTORSIÓN para “acabar con la matraca” en el sistema de justicia