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“She is a fundamental figure in corruption in Venezuela – absolutely fundamental – and especially in the structure of power,” said Zair Mundaray, who worked as a senior prosecutor under Chavez and Maduro.
“Many people consider her far more astute and shrewd than Maduro himself.”
In an interview published in the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia in 2013, Flores called herself a “combatant” and defended hiring relatives.
“My family got in based on their own merits,” she said. “I am proud of them, and I will defend their work as many times as necessary.”
Although she stopped holding formal government posts after 2013, Flores retained immense behind-the-scenes authority. She is often described as a key architect of Maduro’s political survival.
Cilia Flores meets Russian President Vladimir Putin alongside her husband in Moscow last year.Credit: AP
“Within chavismo itself, they know the real power that Cilia Flores has, more so than perhaps the general public,” Deniz said.
Flores is also widely believed to wield decisive influence over Venezuela’s justice system. Many judges and senior officials are thought to be loyal to her or have been placed through her networks. The judiciary is considered thoroughly politicised, having failed to issue a single ruling against the state in more than two decades.
“It is a completely politicised, flawed, corrupt judicial system, and Cilia Flores bears a great deal of responsibility for what the Venezuelan judicial system has become,” Deniz said.
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Investigative journalists have documented extensive corruption involving the Maduro-Flores family, including misuse of public funds and business links with sanctioned foreign businesspeople. One investigation showed the family effectively taking over an entire street of luxury homes in Caracas, the country’s capital.
A federal indictment unsealed Saturday charged Flores, along with her husband and son, with collaborating with drug traffickers.
“She has been basically co-governing the country since he came to power, and in many ways is the strategy or power behind the throne,” said Risa Grais-Targow, the Latin America director for Eurasia Group, a political risk consultancy. “She’s been key to his staying power, but also now his downfall as well.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
