Disappeared President’s wife found shopping for shoes

www.vheadline.com Posted: Friday, March 14, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

In a weird incident, which seems to becoming common place as rumor takes over from facts, Accion Democratica (AD) leader and opposition chief negotiator, Timoteo Zambrano has come out with a red face after requesting the International Red Cross to search for the estranged wife of President Hugo Chavez Frias, Marisabel Rodriguez.

Reporters discovered Marisabel  shopping for shoes in her native Barquisimeto where she told them that she is in good health and was surprised to hear breaking news that she had “disappeared.”

The former First Lady says she continues to get on with her life keeping a low profile.

“What happened today is a dangerous game at a time when the country needs understanding.”

Zambrano has tried some damage control saying he was tipped off that the President’s former wife was missing. “I can’t reveal the source but it wasn’t, as some media sources allege, a family member … I acted in good faith and am glad to find that she is well."