Deputy Pacheco denies corruption after US visa restrictions imposed on 40 Bolivians
The US restricted visas for 40 people in Bolivia over corruption and drug trafficking. Deputy Rolando Pacheco rejects the charges and claims to have "clean hands".
Pacheco defends his innocence after appearing on Washington's visa restriction list
Deputy Rolando Santos Pacheco Chávez of Alianza Popular asserted that he has "clean hands" and expressed his willingness to undergo any investigation after learning that his name appears on the list published by the US government of individuals subject to visa restrictions. This was reported by El Deber.
"I have clean hands and I will always be ready for any investigation, hoping that justice acts impartially," Pacheco declared. The legislator characterised the list as a political instrument: according to him, it "responds to political interests and Bolivians know that my only crime is defending the people and fighting corruption for the good of our beloved Bolivia".
The United States State Department announced on Thursday, 22 October new visa restrictions against 40 people in Bolivia, as part of its offensive "against corruption and drug trafficking". Of that total, 15 Bolivian citizens were publicly identified, including two national deputies, a former attorney general, prosecutors, judges and former police authorities.
The restrictions also include immediate family members of those affected. Washington stated that the measure seeks to prevent individuals linked to corruption and drug trafficking activities from undermining democratically elected governments, regardless of political affiliation.
Among the 15 identified are, in addition to Pacheco, deputy Rafael Darío López Mercado; former attorney general Juan Lanchipa Ponce; former departmental prosecutor of Beni Félix Gerardo Balderas Arteaga; prosecutor for Controlled Substances of Santa Cruz Julio César Porras Velarde; former director of the Financial Investigation Unit Diego Alejandro Barboza Zeballos; president of the Departmental Court of Justice of Santa Cruz Aldo Ismael Quezada Cerruti; former head of airport security of the FELCN Fernando Ronald Velasco Soliz; departmental commander of the Tarija Police Freddy Bismarck Pereira Molina; departmental director of Segip of Santa Cruz Óscar Mauricio Ortiz Cuéllar; former director of Migration Katherine Calderón Valle; former judge José Ayaviri Siles; former prosecutor Armando Rojas Toledo; citizen Rony Suárez Milliet; and judge Julio Nelson Alba Flores, member of the Court of Justice of Santa Cruz.
Vice-governor of Santa Cruz Paola Aguirre demanded that both López and Pacheco step down from their positions. Aguirre noted that Pacheco "was closely linked to the era of the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS), was a councillor in the municipality of Santa Cruz de la Sierra during a term with a high index of corruption and administrative inefficiency". Regarding López, she noted that the legislator "has publicly demonstrated his distance from the Libre parliamentary bloc".
Source: El Deber