Corruption at the CNS: Former COB leader Huarachi linked to movements of Bs 95 million
The vice-minister of Transparency reported irregularities totalling over Bs 95 million at the CNS in 2023. Former COB secretary Juan Carlos Huarachi appears in the preliminary investigation.
Former COB leader implicated in corruption case at the National Health Insurance Fund
The Vice-Minister of Transparency, Yamil García, reported on Tuesday that the National Health Insurance Fund (CNS) carried out financial movements totalling more than Bs 95 million during the 2023 financial year, in breach of current public regulations. According to reports by El Deber, the name of the former executive secretary of the Bolivian Workers' Central (COB), Juan Carlos Huarachi, appears among the parties identified in the preliminary investigation.
García explained that the State Comptroller General issued a report detecting the use of advance funds delivered through five cheques to four public officials. "What the National Health Insurance Fund did was withdraw more than Bs 95 million in the form of advance funds and deliver them by cheque to officials," the vice-minister detailed. Among the recipients is Constantino Carlos Colque Huarachi, who reportedly received two cheques: one for more than Bs 40 million and another for more than Bs 2 million.
The official stressed that all public institutions, including the CNS, are required by Supreme Decree 181 to conduct public tenders for contracts exceeding one million bolivianos. "What did the CNS do in the 2023 financial year? It used a mechanism called advance funds. It could never be admissible for public contracts to be carried out as advance funds," García stated.
Lawyer Abel Loma, contacted by El Deber, maintained that the irregularities had been reported two years ago. "Mr Huarachi, taking advantage of his power, reported us, persecuted us. However, today we see the investigations reaching port," he asserted. Loma added that, in his view, Huarachi "has committed a crime of money laundering" and called for the investigation to extend to his associates and those who may have acted as intermediaries for laundering money of corrupt origin.
The lawyer also questioned the former leader's trajectory: "This reveals that Mr Huarachi used the position of executive leader of the COB to leave his working-class condition and become a multimillionaire".
Currently, Huarachi is held in preventive detention at San Pedro prison, accused of having received at least Bs 40,000 from former Environment and Water Minister Juan Santos Cruz, as well as alleged irregular payments linked to the CNS. The former trade union leader had already been detained in that same prison since 18 November 2025, charged with illicit enrichment, undue use of influence and extortion. On 26 October, he returned to the penal centre, according to El Deber.
Source: El Deber