Manuel Rosales, who ran against Mr Chavez in the 2006 presidential election, faces corruption charges he says are baseless. He had been in hiding since the charges were filed last month. Venezuela's Interior Minister Tareck el-Aissami said Mr Rosales was a criminal on the run. "If he doesn't appear before the appropriate courts, he would be a fugitive from justice, and as a result the court will activate mechanisms for his international capture," said Mr Aissami, denying that the charges were political.
Manuel Rosales was mayor of Maracaibo.