Hugo Chávez' 'Shakira Guitar' Controversy Continues

By Michael Lopez

We told you to expect some controversy from the gift Shakira "gave" to Hugo Chávez over the weekend. And one day later, that's exactly what appears to be happening. Reps from Shaki's camp are now denying that the singer directly donated an autographed guitar to the Venezuelan president.

As we've mentioned before, Chávez and leaders from Shaki's home country of Colombia have had a very contentious relationship. Hugo cut ties between the two nations last summer and publicly labeled then-Colombian President Alvaro Uribe a "mafia boss", a "madman" and a "criminal."

Staying stuff like that is probably not the best way to win over the hearts of the Colombian people, many of whom are die-hard Shakira fans. So it makes sense for the She-Wolf to tread very carefully about her generosity towards Chávez.

But the question is, how did he get his hands on the infamous red guitar? It looks like a few new details are starting to emerge. Shaki's PR reps are saying she signed the instrument after a recent Caracas show and was unaware that it would be sent to the Venezuelan president. It is believed that the concert's organizers were responsible for its arrival to Chávez' office.

Nevertheless, Shakira's reps are saying she approves of the gesture and hopes "acts like this [will] contribute to continue uniting the citizens of Colombia and Venezuela."

What do you think about Shaki's gesture? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Chisme, Colombia, Hugo Chavez, Politics, Shakira, Venezuela