Former president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, speaks at a meeting of social movements. Photo: EFE.
Bolivian Minister for the Interior Eduardo del Castillo announced that the Bolivian Police will execute the arrest warrant against former President Evo Morales, who is being investigated for the crime of human trafficking and smuggling, allegedly committed during his presidential tenure.
“The Bolivian Police has always demonstrated its professionalism and training in all the tasks that have been entrusted to it, and we believe that it has all the necessary skills and capabilities to do its job,” del Castillo said on Tuesday, December 17.
El ministro de Gobierno, Eduardo Del Castillo, afirmĂł este martes que la orden de aprehensiĂłn emitida contra Evo Morales será cumplida por la PolicĂa Boliviana, destacando que la instituciĂłn siempre ha actuado conforme a las instrucciones recibidas.#ATBDigital #ATBInforma pic.twitter.com/kmnKMZ944a
— ATB (@ATBDigital) December 17, 2024
On December 16, the Prosecutor’s Office of Tarija formally charged Evo Morales and requested his arrest, and issued an immigration alert on the grounds of flight risk. Based on these charges, the Bolivian Attorney General’s Office requested preventive detention of the former president for six months.
Morales is being investigated for allegedly having had a relationship with a 15-year-old girl in 2015 in the town of Yacuiba, department of Tarija. The investigation dates back to 2016, which was closed and then reopened in October 2024 by the Prosecutor’s Office of Tarija, although neither the alleged victim nor her parents ever filed a formal complaint against Morales.
Previously, it was reported that the Bolivian police had not been able to carry out the arrest warrant while Morales was in the municipality of Chapare, due to the possibility of a confrontation with Morales’ supporters when the police tried to arrest him.
Evo Morales Speaks to The Grayzone, Blames US For Assassination Attempt
Evo Morales calls himself victim of lawfare
The former president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, declared himself the victim of a “brutal lawfare” executed by the government of Luis Arce on the instructions of the United States.
“I announce to the world that I am the victim of a brutal lawfare executed by the government of Luis Arce, who promised to deliver me as a war trophy to the United States,” Morales wrote on social media on December 17. “They are inventing crimes against me, just like they are doing against many leftist presidents of Latin America. They do not respect the constitutional principles of presumption of innocence and due process.”
Denuncio al mundo que soy vĂctima de una brutal Guerra JurĂdica (lawfare) ejecutada por el Gobierno de Luis Arce que se comprometiĂł a entregarme como trofeo de guerra a EEUU.
Al igual que muchos presidentes izquierdistas de América Latina, se inventan delitos en mi contra; no…— Evo Morales Ayma (@evoespueblo) December 17, 2024
“The only crime I committed is that, being the first indigenous president, I achieved a country with a fair economy for the people: a Plurinational Bolivia with inclusion of those who had always been excluded; not allowing the interference and abuse of the US empire; and having expelled the US ambassador and the plundering and repressive agencies of the United States,” he added.
(Telesur) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/SA
