CARACAS, April 10, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Venezuelan lawmakers on Thursday appointed an official with ties to the ruling "Chavismo" movement as the country's new attorney general, replacing a top ally of ousted leader Nicolas Maduro.

Larry Devoe succeeds Tarek William Saab, who resigned in February following Maduro's stunning capture by US forces in a bombing raid on Caracas.

A "Chavista" from the rabidly anti-imperialist socialist movement founded by former president Hugo Chavez, Devoe had served as acting attorney general since Saab's departure.

Saab was criticized for turning a blind eye to human rights abuses by law enforcement under Maduro.

He is one of several Maduro-era officials to step down or be fired since the leftist leader and his wife were whisked to the United States to face trial on drug trafficking charges.

Devoe previously headed the state National Human Rights Council, the body responsible for coordinating and supporting public policies on human rights.

In 2019, the Canadian government sanctioned Devoe and 42 other individuals which it described as "key figures in the regime" of Maduro.

Opposition lawmaker Henrique Capriles, a two-time presidential candidate, criticized Devoe's appointment.

He called for Venezuela's institutions to be led by people who "are not politically active, who are independent."