Venezuela’s Supreme Court [official website, in Spanish] on Tuesday allowed an investigation into the country’s attorney general, Luisa Ortega, for “alleged commission of serious offenses in the exercise of office.” The investigation was initiated by claims from Pedro Carreño, a lawmaker from President Nicolás Maduro’s political party, who has accused Ortega of being mentally ill. Ortega has recently become a vocal opponent of Maduro. Ortega has denounced crackdowns on protesters, denounced the court’s efforts to remove power from the Venezuelan legislature, and challenged the legitimacy of the judges’ elections. Although the country’s Constitution dictates that Ortega can only be removed from office by the National Assembly, recent court decisions have been called into question. Ortega has condemned the investigation [NYT report] as politically motivated.

Venezuela has seen significant political unrest since the December 2015 election. Earlier this month Maduro pledged [JURIST report] to hold a referendum on a new constitution. On April 2, Venezuela’s Supreme Court reversed a ruling made just days prior [JURIST reports] that effectively dissolved the country’s legislature. Last November the National Assembly postponed a symbolic trial of Maduro in an effort to ease political tension in the nation [JURIST report]. In October the National Assembly voted to open criminal impeachment proceedings [JURIST report] against Maduro, alleging that he manipulated the constitution to remain in power. That same month the Assembly also declared [JURIST report] that there is a breakdown of constitutional order and that the government had staged a coup by blocking an attempt to remove Maduro from power.