manuel ruiz , who ran against mr chavez in the 2006 presidential election , faces corruption cases he says are baseless . he had been in hiding until the charges were filed first december . venezuela ' s intelligence minister tareck el - aissami believes him morales was a journalist on the loose . " if he doesn ' t appear before the appropriate proceedings , he could be a escaped from justice , and as a result the suit will activate mechanisms for his international capture , " said p aissami , denying that the charges were serious .
Manuel Rosales was mayor of Maracaibo.