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La Jornada Newspaper
Tuesday, October 8, 2024, p. 23

La Paz., Former Bolivian president Evo Morales, involved in a scandal for alleged abuse of a minor during his term, was summoned to testify on Thursday by the prosecutor’s office in an investigation for rape, human trafficking and smugglingthe authority announced yesterday.

The summons of the three people accused in this case: Evo Morales and the parents of the victim, has been arranged for the 10th at the prosecutor’s office so that they can give an informative statement. in the department of Tarija, reported the head of the Public Ministry, Juan Lanchipa.

64 years old and the biggest opponent of the government of his former minister Luis Arce, the indigenous leader stated in X that he is a victim of lawfare (judicial persecution) and attributed it to betrayal of the current president, with whom the ruling party’s presidential nomination is disputed, ahead of the 2025 elections.

The scandal dates back to 2015, when Morales was president. That year, according to the prosecutor’s investigation, Morales became involved with a 15-year-old girl with whom he had a daughter in 2016.

Morales, who headed the Executive between 2006 and 2019, described the complaint as another lie and added that in 2020 he was already investigated for the same events and that It has been proven that there was nothing.

However, the new file was opened by the prosecutor of the department of Tarija, Sandra Gutiérrez. The official ordered Morales’ arrest on September 26, but the order was annulled by a judge who accepted a judicial appeal in favor of the former head of state.

Prosecutor Lanchipa removed Gutiérrez from his duties for negligent conductbut the justice system restored her and she will take Morales’ statement, the Public Ministry announced.

In addition to the crime of statutory rape, Morales is being investigated for human trafficking.

Morales would face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.