Latin America News: Daughters of Late Hugo Chávez Live in Official Venezuela Presidential Residence Instead of President Nicolás Maduro
The daughters of the late former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez are still living in the presidential residence of La Casona in Caracas, despite there being a new president, Nicolás Maduro, in charge.
Chávez died on March 5, 2013, but his two oldest daughters, Rosa Virginia and María Gabriela Chávez, have yet to move out of the residencia presidencial. According to Fox News Latino, writer Soledad Morillo Belloso was the first to publicly voice disapproval of the situation.
"Now we have two presidential families: Chávez and Maduro, and we are paying for both," she said.
In addition, some Venezuelan lawmakers are starting to complain about Chávez's daughters.
"The law is very clear: La Casona is for the exclusive use of the Head of State, his wife and his descendants," Carlos Berrizbeitia, a National Assembly lawmaker, said. "Right now, President Nicolás Maduro is not living there because it is occupied by Chávez's daughters. There's not a single reason for the Chávez family to live there."
Besides taking up space that belongs to Maduro and his family, the two daughters' residence in La Casona is reportedly leading to the misappropriation of funds.
"When people who are not direct relatives of the current president occupy La Casona there's an improper use of resources, as money is being spent on purposes other than those they were originally allocated for," Berrizbeitia said.
According to the lawmaker, it costs the Venezuelan Treasury about $300,000 a month to maintain La Casona, which features a swimming pool, gym, bowling alley, movie theater and dance hall. As a result, Berrizbeitia laments that it is "being used as private club" by the Chávez daughters.
In addition, some are concerned about the safety of treasures that lay in the residence with the "presidential princesses," as they have been dubbed by various media outlets. The colonial house contains various collectibles, such as silverware, paintings and porcelain, that reflect Venezuelan history, Morillo said.
"We don't know what happened to all that, but there are frightening rumors about broken or 'lost' pieces of incalculable artistic and historical value," she said.
According to Morillo, her requests for answers have been evaded. The only official statement on the issue came from Maduro in Decemeber during a TV interview.
"I explicitly ordered [Rosa Virginia's husband] Vice President Jorge Arreaza to stay in La Casona with the family of President Chávez as a way to protect them," he said, according to FNL.
As a result, some suspect a conspiracy is occurring.
"It's been a strong rumor inside of the government," Berrizbeitia said. "In any case, you get the impression that Maduro is sharing his power with the Chávez family."
Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @ScharHar.
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