A Bolivian judge on Friday ordered the arrest of former President Evo Morales (2006-2019) for “trafficking” of a minor, after he failed to appear for the second time at a hearing.
“An arrest warrant is ordered against the accused,” declared Nelson Rocabado, judge in Tarija (south) during the hearing broadcast by the national channel Bolivia TV.
The first Bolivian head of state of indigenous origin, Evo Morales is accused of “trafficking” of a minor due to an alleged arrangement concluded with her parents.
According to the prosecution, Evo Morales, 65, maintained a relationship with this minor in 2015, from which a daughter was born a year later, with the consent of the parents in exchange for benefits.
-The former president considers himself the victim of a “legal war” orchestrated by the government of the current head of state, Luis Arce, his former ally and now rival for the nomination of the left-wing party in power with a view to the presidential election of August 2025.
Evo Morales had already failed to appear at a hearing scheduled for Tuesday in this case. His lawyers then submitted a medical certificate to justify his absence. According to prosecutor Sandra Gutierrez, the document mentioned bronchopneumonia and possible bradycardia. A new hearing was then announced for Friday.
