Venezuelan Opposition Leader, Maria Corina Machado, Faces Panama Lawsuit

Venezuelan Opposition Leader, Maria Corina Machado, Faces Panama Lawsuit
By Lucas Koerner

Caracas, April 8th 2015 (venezuelanalysis.com) - As the Panama summit approaches, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado faces a class-action lawsuit for addressing the Organization of American States (OAS) in the capacity of the body's official Panamanian representative.

In an attempt to draw attention to civil unrest in Venezuela in May last year, Machado testified at an OAS meeting in Washington using a Panamanian diplomatic representative’s seat. The action was described as a gross violation of both the Venezuelan Constitution and Panamanian law at the time and led to Machado being stripped of her position as National Assembly deputy in Venezuela.

Earlier this week, a group of civil and social organisations in Panama also revealed that they would be pursuing legal action against the former legislator in response to her actions.

“We have filed a lawsuit against Maria Corina Machado for usurping a Panamanian government position under the corrupt government of Ricardo Martinelli, which, having been advised by Guillermo Cochez, gave her the seat of the Panama representative so that she could speak at the OAS,” stated Olmedo Beluche, a lecturer at the University of Panama and the founder of the Popular United Movement.

“This constitutes a misappropriation and we are going to follow it up to make sure that it is penalised,” he added.

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http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/11325