A former Venezuelan police chief jailed for his role in a failed 2002 coup against late President Hugo Chavez has been released from prison and placed under house arrest for health reasons, his family said Saturday.

The wife of former police commissioner Ivan Simonovis confirmed in a post on Twitter that her husband had been allowed to receive medical treatment at home following a court ruling.

Under the terms of Simonovis's house arrest, the former police officer is barred from making any public statements or commentaries on social networks.

He is also required to return to prison once his health improves, the Supreme Court said on its Twitter account.

The Caracas police commissioner was sentenced to 30 years, along with two other senior officers, for their part in a plot to oust Chavez, who died last year.

Simonovis was accused of responsibility for supervising an opposition demonstration against Chavez supporters which flared into violence and left 17 people dead on April 11, 2002.

Soon after the protest, military leaders withdrew their support for Chavez and businessman Pedro Carmona declared himself president.

The short-lived uprising ended two days later, however, when Chavez was returned to office following street protests and support from loyal sections of the military.

Simonovis was later arrested and tried, with his sentence being confirmed in 2010.

The 54-year-old's supporters regard him as a political prisoner, a claim denied by the government of President Nicolas Maduro, which has refused to grant him a pardon.