CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) —Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez announced the sacking on Wednesday of defence minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, who headed the country’s military for almost a decade under ousted leader Nicolas Maduro.

Rodriguez, who took over after Maduro was deposed by United States (US) forces in January, thanked Lopez on Telegram for his “dedication, his loyalty to the homeland, and for having served all these years as the foremost soldier in the defence of the country.”

However, she did not give any explanation for the change in the important post.

Padrino, 62, had held the position since 2014 and was considered Maduro’s key ally within the military high command.

“We are confident that he will undertake the new responsibilities entrusted to him with the same commitment and honour,” Rodriguez added in the post, without specifying what those responsibilities would be.

Rodriguez, who is acting head of state, appointed Gustavo Gonzalez Lopez to lead the Defence Ministry. Gonzalez Lopez had been named just days after Padrino’s ousting as chief of the presidential guard and of the feared counter-intelligence directorate.

The Venezuelan military is a powerful entity in the country as it also oversees oil, mining and food distribution enterprises, as well as customs operations and key government ministries — all amid allegations of abuse and corruption.