A Bolivian departmental prosecutor reported this Monday that former President Evo Morales and two other people were charged with the crime of “aggravated human trafficking” and confirmed that there is an arrest warrant in force against them.
The prosecutor Sandra Gutierrezfrom the department of Tarija, indicated that Morales was charged along with the parents of the alleged victim, Idelsa Pozo Saavedra and Emeterio Vargas Mamani.
According to the AFP agency, the case would have occurred in 2015, when Morales was serving his third term as president. The prosecutor said that the former president allegedly had a daughter with a minor.
“This accusation was presented today. We are waiting for the precautionary judge to set the date and time for the precautionary measures hearing to take place,” said prosecutor Gutiérrez at a press conference.
“There is nothing political here. We are protecting the rights of a person who, unfortunately, has been harassed. And this with the approval of his parents, unfortunately, which is why one of them is in preventive detention,” said Gutiérrez in reference to Emeterio Vargas Mamani, who is detained.
The prosecutor’s decision is due to the fact that Morales did not come to testify and, 10 days after he was notified, “a formal accusation must be presented” and an arrest warrant issued, Gutiérrez said.
Former President Morales did not immediately offer statements. For months now He has reported that he is a victim of political persecution by President Luis Arce and his collaborators in the Movement Towards Socialism party to prevent him from running in the next presidential elections.
His defense lawyer, Wilfredo Chávez, assured that his client was not notified of the accusation by the Prosecutor’s Office, according to what he told local media.
The case against Morales
The Bolivian authorities reported last October of the case being pursued against former President Morales for the alleged assault of a minor.
Gutiérrez explained that the investigation began at the end of last September, when he received a complaint.
The minor’s parents had “the sole purpose of political escalation and obtaining benefits… in exchange for their minor daughter,” Gutiérrez said.
According to AFP, Morales had previously dismissed these accusations as the investigation had focused on statutory rape charges, but prosecutors have since adjusted their focus toward alleged human trafficking.
Last October, Morales was summoned to testify, but he did not appear or offer proof, the prosecutor said. By not doing so, The arrest warrant against Morales and Idelsa Pozo was issued on the 16th of that month.
“It is a quite complex case. That is why we have handled this investigation with great caution, because here not only was a minor involved, but at the time this investigation began on October 2… on that date the victim disappeared, along with her little daughter. minor,” said the prosecutor.
According to the official, until now the former president has not been able to be detained for various reasons, such as the fact that he was never at the address indicated as his own in the department of Cochabamba.
He also said that police officers were attacked by protesters “aligned with Evo Morales.” In addition, the prosecutor assured that the former president has been seen carrying a weapon.
The prosecutor also stated that an immigration alert was requested for Morales and Pozo.
Rivalry with Arce
The case against Morales comes in the middle of the growing tensions in Bolivia between Morales’ supporters and those of the current president, Luis Arce.
Arce was Morales’ Minister of Economy between 2006 and 2019. In 2020, Arce became president with the support of Morales. However, the alliance ended in 2021. The reason for the breakup was Morales’ new attempt to seek the presidency in the 2025 elections.
In June, a coup attempt of a part of members of the army, in which a group of soldiers and military vehicles tried to take control of Plaza Murillo, further escalated the confrontation between Arce and Morales.
Arce has accused Morales of planning a “coup d’état” by calling for demonstrations against him. Those who demonstrate in favor of Evo blame Arce for the country’s economic problems and the shortage of dollars and fuel.
Morales wants to return to the presidency for the fourth time, despite the fact that the country’s Constitution allows only two terms. Arce, for his part, will try to fight for his second term.
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