A former political ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has gone into hiding after a warrant was issued for his arrest, his daughter said on Friday.
Eduardo Manuitt, a former state governor, is in hiding for his safety, Lenny Manuitt said.
A warrant was issued for Eduardo Manuitt’s arrest after prosecutors accused him of pocketing government funds a decade ago during his tenure as governor of central Guarico state.
Eduardo Manuitt broke with Chavez last year, after the president’s party did not support his daughter to succeed him as governor.
Lenny Manuitt said her father was innocent and called the allegations politically motivated. She declined to comment on whether he had fled the country.
The former governor is the second Venezuelan politician to go into hiding recently, alleging he’s facing charges for political reasons and can’t expect a fair trial.
Opposition leader Manuel Rosales is seeking political asylum in Peru after Venezuelan prosecutors last month charged him with “illegal enrichment” when he was governor of Venezuela’s western Zulia state. Rosales has stepped down as mayor of Venezuela’s second-largest city, Maracaibo, and says he is the victim of political persecution.
Leading Chavez opponents say the government is using targeted corruption probes and new laws to sideline them and limit their power.
Chavez denied it in a televised speech on Friday, saying his government simply aimed to fight corruption.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel
NO EXCUSES: Marcos said his administration was acting on voters’ demands, but an academic said the move was emotionally motivated after a poor midterm showing Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday sought the resignation of all his Cabinet secretaries, in a move seen as an attempt to reset the political agenda and assert his authority over the second half of his single six-year term. The order came after the president’s allies failed to win a majority of Senate seats contested in the 12 polls on Monday last week, leaving Marcos facing a divided political and legislative landscape that could thwart his attempts to have an ally succeed him in 2028. “He’s talking to the people, trying to salvage whatever political capital he has left. I think it’s