Fernando Ochoa Antich
| Fernándo Ochoa Antich | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Defense of Venezuela | |
|
In office June 26 1991 – June 1992 |
|
| President | Carlos Andrés Pérez |
| Preceded by | Héctor Jurado Toro |
| Succeeded by | Iván Darío Jiménez Sánchez |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela | |
|
In office 12 June 1992 – 2 February 1994 |
|
| President |
Carlos Andres Perez (until '93) Ramon J. Velasquez |
| Preceded by | Humberto Calderón Berti |
| Succeeded by | Miguel Ángel Burelli Rivas |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1939 |
| Nationality | Venezuelan |
| Profession | General, lawyer, diplomat, politician |
Fernando Ochoa Antich (born 1939) is a Venezuelan lawyer, diplomat and politician, and retired general. He is a columnist with the El Universal newspaper.
Fernándo Ochoa Antich was born in 1939. He earned his law degree from the Santa Maria University in 1989.
In 1991, president Carlos Andres Perez named him Minister of Defense of Venezuela.
As Minister of Defense, Ochoa Antich had to face several coup d'état attempts in 1992. In January 1992, he began to respond to rumors that there was a coup d'etat being planned by Hugo Chavez, then a major in the military. Despite Ochoa Antich's advice that the matter be addressed directly, Perez dismissed the rumors. On February 3, 1992, Perez returned from a trip to Switzerland, and when alerted about an uprising in Caracas, he neglected to inform Ochoa Antich, and instead went to rest, before moving several hours later to Miraflores Palace. Later that night, on February 4 a group of military men led by Chavez attempted a coup against Pérez. Chavez used tanks and paratroopers to take control of the palace and presidential residence. When dealing with the crisis, Ochoa Antich remained the loyal defense minister of Perez. Although his actions resulted in quelling the conflict and saving the president's life, Ochoa Antich would later state that allowing Chavez to speak on public television was a "mistake," stating "I was responsible, I authored it, I was wrong," as it allowed Chavez to gain political success in the future over Perez.
In June 1992, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela Humberto Calderon Berti resigned when his Copei political party broke with Perez's administration. Defense Minister General Ochoa Antich was named to the position as Berti's replacement on June 12, 1992, resigning from the Ministry of Defense.
After a trial concerning misappropriation of funds, the National Congress removed Pérez from office permanently on 31 August, 1993. Ochoa Antich, however, retained his position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs until February 2, 1994.
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