Venezuela: Drug Suspect Says He Bribed Judge Prominent Venezuelan drug trafficking suspect Walid Makled says he maintained close ties to a then-justice from Venezuela's Supreme Court and gave the judge monthly payments of roughly $70,000 for favors. Makled's Wednesday statements come a week after ex-magistrate Eladio Aponte accused government officials of having links to drug traffickers and said he received two telephone calls from President Hugo Chavez, who asked him to intervene in criminal cases. The dates of the calls from Chavez are unclear. One of the calls was made when Aponte was Venezuela's top military prosecutor, before he was appointed to the Supreme Court. Venezuela's National Assembly dismissed the judge from his post March 20. Aponte denies having any ties to Makled. Chavez has dismissed as false Makled's allegations involving purported ties to his government and the military.