CONFIRMED: Jose Abelardo Mai Resigns from Cabinet

We have confirmed Jose Abelardo Mai has resigned from Cabinet. He is no longer the Minister of Angriculture. We have also confirmed that Mai tendered his resignation this afternoon. We are told that the Prime Minister, John Briceño, has been presented with Mai’s resignation letter.

We are told that Mai resigned under pressure from the Prime Minister, who is himself reportedly facing pressure from the United States.

While the reasons for Mai’s expected resignation remain unclear, the development follows a public controversy in October when he forcefully rejected a viral social media post that attempted to link him to criminal activity. At the time, Mai dismissed the claims as entirely fabricated. He issued a strongly worded statement calling the post “highly defamatory” and insisted that he “categorically denies all allegations.”

Mai accused what he called “fake news media” of conspiring with political agents of the UDP to smear his reputation.

News 5 reached out to Mai for comment.