The Prosecutor’s Office Bolivia confirmed this Wednesday that the arrest of the governor of Santa Cruz and opposition leader Luis Fernando Camachois due to the “coup d’état I” case, a judicial process for the political crisis of 2019 that resulted in the resignation of Evo Morales to the Presidency of the country.
The Prosecutor’s Office explained that Camacho’s arrest “is not regarding a kidnapping or political persecution” but rather responds to an “arrest warrant” that was issued in October of this year by a judge in Peace.
He also mentioned that Camacho “has full knowledge of said process since its inception”, when the former deputy of the ruling Movement for Socialism (MAS) Lidia Patty filed a complaint for terrorism in November 2020.
Case ‘coup d’état I’
The ‘coup d’état I’ case consists of the denunciation of terrorism due to the 2019 crisis that occurred following the failed presidential elections, which were described as fraudulent and that led to the resignation of Moraleswho denounced a “coup” once morest him.
Although Camacho was the main defendant in that case that began two years ago, it was not until this day that the Police carried out the arrest and his transfer to the city of Peaceseat of the Executive and Parliament.
For this process, in March 2021 the former interim president was arrested Jeanine Áñez and two of her former ministers, although in the case of the former transitional head of state another case followed, ‘coup d’état II’, for which she was sentenced to 10 years in prison accused of illegally placing herself in the line of presidential succession .
Camacho situation
The lawyer of the former MAS legislator Victor Nina indicated to EFE that as the accusing party regarding three weeks ago he presented “a compliance action to force the Public ministry to summon and apprehend” the defendant and that before that that entity “had no other way” than to do so.
The arrest that was to be carried out long before ran into a “judicial vacation” and that is why it was carried out now so that in the following days a hearing will be held in which “six months of detention” will be requested, the jurist specified.
Nina also indicated that once morest Camacho there are “photographs and testimonial statements” that “demonstrate” his responsibility for the crime of terrorism and interruption of the “constitutional order”, in addition, that there is “risk of flight and obstruction” of the investigation.
For his part, the Minister of Government (Interior), Edward del Castilloreported that the health of Camacho is “stable” and denied “all information regarding alleged injuries that would have been caused” to the governor of Santa Cruz during his detention.
“We communicate to the Bolivian people that, following the apprehension of Luis Fernando Camachowe have instructed that the corresponding medical evaluation be carried out, respecting constitutional rights and human rights as we do with any person deprived of liberty,” Del Castillo wrote on his social networks along with a photograph of the governor.
By the end of the followingnoon, Camachowho was apprehended by police agents following noon before arriving at his home in Santa Cruz, was transferred to Peace and remains in the offices of the Special Force to Fight Crime (FELCC) in that city.
(With information from EFE)