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Venezuelan government seeks removalof justices for validating recall signatures

Associated Press Writer
Published Thursday, March 18, 2004

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Venezuela's government opened an investigation Wednesday that could lead to the removal of three Supreme Court magistrates who ruled that signatures on petition for a vote to recall President Hugo Chavez were valid.

Venezuela's attorney general, the public defender and the controller general were investigating Magistrates Alberto Martini, Rafael Hernandez and Orlando Gravina for unethical behavior, a statement from the attorney general's office said.

On Monday, the three magistrates ruled that more than 870,000 signatures must be considered valid unless citizens disclaim them. The ruling overturned the National Elections Council's decision to force citizens to confirm they signed because they allegedly violated procedural regulations when completing petition forms.

It was a victory for Chavez opponents, who now have more than enough signatures to force a vote unless citizens deny they signed.

But disagreements over the legality of the Supreme Court ruling threaten to derail efforts to bring Venezuela's political crisis to a peaceful resolution.