MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Venezuelan court asks Interpol to help arrest opposition leader Rosales

Rosales is mayor of Maracaibo, the country’s second largest city.

A Venezuelan court has ordered the arrest of exiled opposition leader Manuel Rosales on corruption charges and asked Interpol to detain him after he left for Peru, according to the Venezuelan state television.

The Wednesday announcement came as Rosales spoke on Venezuelan opposition television, slamming President Hugo Chavez as a “coward” and a “little dictator” in a message from Lima, where he is seeking asylum on the grounds he faces political persecution in Venezuela.

After the interview, the Peruvian Foreign Minister called on Mr Rosales not to conduct Venezuelan politics from Peru.

The Caracas court that is hearing the charges of illicit enrichment against Rosales said it was seeking his arrest after he failed to appear Monday at a preliminary hearing on the case and fled to Peru.

Prosecutors say Rosales, a former presidential candidate (2006) and the most visible face of the country's fractured opposition, cannot explain the source of 60.000 US dollars he made while he was governor of the oil-rich state of Zulia. An advertising campaign on state television accuses him of owning million-dollar houses and shopping malls in Miami.

Opposition leaders say the case shows a selective use of justice meant to eliminate Venezuela’s democratic opposition. Chavez supporters call it a simple corruption investigation filed in accordance with law.

Javier Valle-Riestra, a prominent Peruvian legislator who is representing Mr Rosales, said they had submitted an asylum request to Peruvian authorities on Tuesday and expected a decision within two months.