US accuses prosecutor Mariaca of corruption and drug trafficking; Bolivia demands explanations
The US State Department imposed visa restrictions on Attorney General Roger Mariaca over alleged bribes and links to drug trafficking. The Bolivian Government called the accusations "very serious".
Pressure on Bolivian attorney general following Washington allegations
Bolivia's Attorney General Roger Mariaca faces growing institutional pressure to step down from his post after the US State Department announced visa restrictions against him, according to bolivia.com.
On Monday 28 September, the Trump administration published a statement in which it accused Mariaca—elected in 2024 for a six-year term during the government of former president Luis Arce—of having "abused his public offices by soliciting and accepting bribes to facilitate drug trafficking and help violent criminals evade justice". Before taking office as attorney general, Mariaca served as departmental prosecutor in Santa Cruz.
The visa restrictions also affect his immediate family members, other current and former Bolivian officials, and individuals from Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Washington publicly designated Mariaca for "participation in significant acts of corruption".
The US statement warns that these actions "endanger President Trump's efforts to combat narco-terrorism, whilst undermining the very democratic institutions that Bolivia, as a participant in the Shield programme, seeks to strengthen". The Trump administration's message is direct: "corrupt officials—and the criminals they protect—are not welcome in the United States".
Response from the Bolivian Government
The government of President Rodrigo Paz called the allegations "very serious" and announced that it would formally request, through the Foreign Ministry, additional information and evidence from Washington.
Defence Minister Ernesto Justiniano stated that "the declarations and allegations from the United States are quite serious and the Government takes them with absolute seriousness". Government Minister Marco Antonio Oviedo indicated that investigations would be intensified regarding all individuals included in the list.
From the Legislature, the presidents of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies, Diego Ávila and Roberto Castro, demanded that Mariaca step aside from his duties whilst his situation is clarified and requested an urgent session of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly.
Mariaca rejects the accusations
The attorney general responded at a press conference with a categorical rejection: "We cannot accept that the work I have been carrying out as attorney general of the State, a post granted democratically in accordance with Bolivian institutions, be called into question by decisions or statements from outside."
Mariaca did not announce his resignation nor indicate any intention to voluntarily step aside from his post.
Source: Google News BO — Crime