On Wednesday, new state prosecutor Tarek William Saab asked the Supreme Court to strip the immunity of lawmaker German Ferrer, and requested that he be arrest. On Thursday, Venezuela's Supreme Court President Maikel Moreno ordered the detention of Ferrer on suspicion of being involved in extortion. On Saturday, Ortega Diaz and her husband arrived in Colombia.
"Prosecutor Luisa Ortega is under the protection of the Colombian government. If she asks for asylum we will grant it," Santos wrote in his Twitter.
Venezuela plunged into turbulence in March, when the Venezuelan Supreme Court decided to restrict the power of the legislature. The decision was immediately reversed amid a backlash, but supporters of the parliament, who strive for the dismissal of the court's members, took to the streets on April 4, marking the start of deadly protests which have so far claimed lives of over 120 people.
The protests were further fueled by the July 30 Constituent Assembly vote. Venezuela's opposition, as well as the European Union and the United States, among other countries, have refused to recognize the new legislative body's legitimacy.
