Venezuela releases former general-turned-Chavez critic: lawyer

A former Venezuelan defense minister and ally-turned-critic of the late president Hugo Chavez has been released on parole after spending more than six years in prison on corruption charges, his lawyer said Thursday. Raul Isaias Baduel, who was instrumental in restoring Chavez to power after an attempted coup in 2002, was released Wednesday night from the Ramo Verde military prison, his lawyer told AFP. "He has been granted conditional release," his lawyer Omar Mora told AFP. Baduel, who stepped down as defense minister in late 2007 amid a falling out with Chavez, was convicted on corruption charges in 2010 and sentenced to seven years and 11 months in prison. Under the terms of his release, Baduel is barred from making public statements and must report to a judge once a month, his lawyer said. More…