Ruling dismissing 2oo2 rebellion case overturned

Venezuela's Supreme Court overturned a ruling on Friday that had dismissed all charges against four military officers accused of leading a 2002 coup against President Hugo Chavez.

Supreme Court Justice Luisa Morales, flanked by members of the court's Constitutional Chamber, said the ruling was overturned because it violated Venezuela's constitution.

It was unclear what the next step by the court or prosecutors would be, but Jose Luis Garcia, an attorney who had defended the officers, said the decision meant they could be charged with the same crimes and brought to trial again.

The ruling was unconstitutional, Garcia said, because it meant that anyone could be brought to trial for the same crime twice.

"The law is not being applied the way it should," Garcia told the local Globovision television channel. "The rule of law no longer exists in Venezuela."

The Constitutional Chamber, one of the Supreme Court's six different chambers, rules on issues linked to constitutional norms. The Attorney General's Office had challenged the legality of the 2002 ruling.

The decision on August 14, 2002, to dismiss criminal charges against the four top officers spurred violent protests by government supporters. Justices had ruled that the attorney general had insufficient evidence.

Army Gen Efrain Vasquez, Navy Rear Adm Hector Ramirez Perez, Vice Adm Daniel Comisso Urdaneta and Air Force Gen Pedro Pereira had been charged with rebellion, which carried a possible 30-year prison term. Chavez removed the officers from the military following the ruling.

For Chavez supporters, the accused officers were symbols of "fascists" who ousted their president on April 11, 2002.

Chavez was restored by loyalist troops on the wave of a popular rebellion against the short-lived coup.