US revokes visa for Bolivia's attorney general over drug trafficking and corruption
Washington accused Roger Mariaca of facilitating drug trafficking through bribes and of helping criminals evade justice. Mariaca rejected the charges.
Washington cancels visa for Roger Mariaca and accuses him of bribes to organised crime
The US government revoked the visa of Bolivia's attorney general, Roger Mariaca, and his family members, according to ladiaria.com.uy. The State Department accuses the official of "involvement in significant acts of corruption", of "facilitating drug trafficking" through bribes and of "assisting violent criminals to evade justice".
The measure was announced through a press statement by the State Department and is part of, according to the official communiqué, "the commitments acquired at the Doral Summit", an instance that gave rise to what is called the Shield of the Americas, the security alliance promoted by the Donald Trump administration in the region.
The communiqué also notes that Mariaca was appointed attorney general during the government of President Luis Arce—characterised by Washington as "far left"—and that his actions are contrary to "President Trump's efforts to combat narcoterrorism". According to the State Department, his conduct also "undermines the very democratic institutions that Bolivia, as a participant in the Shield of the Americas, has committed to respect".
Mariaca, who oversees cases of public significance—among them one related to far-right adviser Fernando Cerimedo—categorically rejected the accusations made by Washington. The attorney general stated that he will not back down "one inch" in his investigations, according to ladiaria.com.uy.
Source: Google News BO — Crime