Second Former Venezuelan Governor Under Investigation for Corruption

The Attorney General is opening an investigation against the former governor of the state of Guarico, Eduardo Manuitt, on allegations of corruption, and announced that he will be summoned to the court next week to be charged. Carora, December 10, 2008 (venezuelanalysis.com)– The Attorney General is opening an investigation against the former governor of the state of Guarico, Eduardo Manuitt, on allegations of corruption, and announced that he will be summoned to the court next week to be charged.

A press statement from the Attorney General’s office said that Manuitt is required to appear in the prosecutor’s office in Guarico on Tuesday, December 16, 2008.

Manuitt was originally elected with the support of President Chavez, but later switched to the opposition. He officially broke relations with the president when he supported his daughter, Lenny Manuitt, in an unsuccessful campaign for governor against the candidate of Chavez’s United Socialist Party of Venezuela, William Lara.

This is the second investigation to be opened against the governor, who is also accused of assaulting a mayor in his home state.

In a separate case, Manuel Rosales, the former governor of the state of Zulia and recently elected mayor of Maracaibo, is expected to be charged tomorrow in Caracas for alleged corruption, according to a press release from the Public Ministry. Rosales is expected to appear with his attorneys at 11am in the prosecutor’s office tomorrow, December 13.

The subpoena was issued less than one day after Rosales was sworn in as mayor, stripping him of the immunity he enjoyed while governor of the state.

The specific charges are still unknown, but unofficial sources interviewed by the Zulia paper Panorama wouldn’t rule out violations of the Currency Exchange Law, based on televised phone conversations where Rosales referenced large quantities of dollars, in addition to three other charges related to corruption.

In other news, the National Assembly agreed to an investigation by the Interior Politics Commission into supposed irregularities committed by the governor-elect of the state of Carabobo, Enrique Salas Feo, in his inauguration ceremony.

According to Saul Ortega, the Second Vice-President of the National Assembly, Salas Feo was sworn in illegally by a “corrupt” judge who was allegedly paid by the governor-elect, instead of being sworn in by the Legislative Assembly, as provided for in that state’s constitution.

“Salas Feo just attacked the constitution of Carabobo, by not getting sworn in by the legally elected Legislative Assembly. They took over the legislative council supported by
the police and the mere six legislators they barely obtained [in the recent elections].”

The president of the National Assembly, Cilia Flores, designated the Finances Commission to investigate the allegations, and stated that “the people of Carabobo must defend the peace, and insist that the constitution and the laws are obeyed.”