manuel rosales , who ran against el chavez in the 2006 general primary , faces corruption charges he says are baseless . he had been in hiding as the reports were lodged last quarter . venezuela ' s defense official tareck el - aissami said mr rosales was a criminal on the line . " if he doesn ' t appear before the appropriate courts , he may be a fugitive from police , and as a result the court will activate mechanisms for his overseas capture , " said mr aissami , denying that the charges were political .
Manuel Rosales was mayor of Maracaibo.