Venezuela ex-planning minister said to slam Maduro as weak leader

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's former planning minister, who helped the late president Hugo Chavez forge the country's state-driven economic model, has excoriated current president Nicholas Maduro as a weak leader who is straying from socialism, according to a widely circulated document.

The comments attributed to Jorge Giordani, which could not be independently verified, echoed many opposition criticisms of the president and suggested Maduro's efforts to overhaul Chavez-era economic controls may come at a significant political cost.