Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) rebel plays hide and seek with security forces

www.vheadline.com Posted: Sunday, March 09, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

Movimiento Quinta Republica (MVR) deputy Calixto Ortega says Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) rebel leader, Juan Fernandez should hand himself over to justice.  “Nobody is being politically persecuted in Venezuela …  Fernandez sparked off the oil stoppage at PDVSA should accept the consequences of his acts.”

The National Assembly (AN) Energy & Mines Committee president insists that Fernandez and companions had abandoned their PDVSA obligations to take on political leadership and must therefore respond to trial before the courts.

Fernandez has declared that he has gone "clandestine" and is playing cat and mouse with security forces, managing to fool a State Political & Security (DISIP) police unit that attempted to serve an arrest warrant on him when he showed up at an opposition rally in Caracas this weekend.