Justice in Bolivia ordered the arrest of Evo Morales after the former president did not appear at the new hearing on the accusation of human trafficking this Friday (17). The information was confirmed by the Bolivian Information Agency (ABI).
Judge Nelson Alberto Rocabado subpoenaed Morales in the case of alleged aggravated human trafficking and the accusation of having had intimate relations with a teenager in 2015, when he held the presidency of Bolivia. Morales rejected the accusations.
According to the ABI, Rocabado ordered the search and arrest of the former Bolivian president, freezing his bank accounts and the preventive recording of his assets.
The measure was announced after Morales did not attend the new hearing on precautionary measures scheduled for this Friday at the Tarija court. It was the second absence of the former president in the same week, who also failed to appear on Tuesday (14), citing health reasons.
“These elements presented consisting of private medical certificates, in the opinion of the undersigned judge, do not constitute a legitimate impediment for the now accused not to attend this hearing”, stated judge Rocabado this Friday.
Morales’ lawyer, Jorge Pérez, attended the hearing on his behalf and declared that the former president “was never notified” and that, therefore, the notice of failure to appear, the arrest warrant and the formal indictment issued are “illegal” , according to the Bolivian Information Agency (ABI).
Relive this week’s events
On Tuesday, Morales failed to attend another precautionary measures hearing, still in the context of the human trafficking charge. At the time, his lawyer also appeared in his place and explained that Morales’ absence was due to “health problems and advanced age”.
The mother of the young woman with whom the former president allegedly had relations was also summoned, but did not attend.
Also on Tuesday, prosecutor Sandra Gutiérrez reported that, on orders from a precautionary judge, an average assessment should be carried out on Morales and its results released within 48 hours.
Furthermore, it was defined that a new absence of the former president would cause him to be considered as a person “in absentia”, and that an arrest warrant would be issued against him.
The former president had already been summoned to testify in October 2024, but he also did not attend the hearing.
The judge in Tarija summoned Morales to a case of possible human trafficking due to an intimate relationship that the Public Prosecutor’s Office alleges Morales had with a minor in 2015, during his presidency.
Morales said the complaint is a “dirty war” that, in his opinion, the authorities waged against him to prevent him from running for a new presidential race in 2025.
This content was originally published in Justice in Bolivia orders arrest of Evo Morales, says agency on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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