Bolivian prosecutor Róger Mariaca arrested at Santa Cruz airport following visa revocation
Prosecutor General Róger Mariaca was detained at Viru Viru airport two days after the United States revoked his visa citing alleged links to drug trafficking.
Arrest of prosecutor Mariaca in Santa Cruz, two days after visa revocation
Bolivian State Prosecutor General Róger Mariaca was arrested on Wednesday evening at Santa Cruz's international Viru Viru airport, just 48 hours after the United States government revoked his visa, according to elciudadano.com. With him was apprehended the departmental prosecutor of Santa Cruz, Alberto Zeballos.
According to digital media outlet La Razón, both officials were "intercepted within the airport terminal and subsequently detained," although no official explanation has been provided to date regarding the reasons for the arrest.
Washington's decision and the accusations
The U.S. State Department announced on Monday the revocation of Mariaca's visa as part of a policy of migration restrictions against foreign nationals accused of undermining democratic governments through corruption or drug trafficking. United States authorities indicated that Mariaca had "abused his public office by soliciting and accepting bribes to facilitate drug trafficking and assist violent criminals to evade justice."
The measure is part of the mechanism called the Shield of the Americas, promoted by former president Donald Trump, and also affects other current and former Bolivian officials, as well as citizens of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
La Razón clarified that these statements "reflect the position of the U.S. government and do not constitute a judicial ruling in Bolivia."
Mariaca's response before his arrest
At a press conference held before his detention, Mariaca expressed his "surprise" at the news and, surrounded by officials from the Prosecutor General's Office, rejected the accusations coming from Washington regarding alleged bribes linked to drug trafficking.
"We respect the sovereign decisions of the United States, but we hope that the independence of institutions in Bolivia will be respected," he stated, invoking the principle of non-interference.
The prosecutor insisted that Bolivia does not interfere in the decisions of other states and demanded reciprocity. "Bolivia has no intention, nor has it ever had the intention, to interfere in the sovereign decisions of other states, but precisely because we believe in sovereignty, the self-determination of peoples and the principle of non-interference in state affairs, we expect the same respect towards Bolivia, its institutions and its authorities," he declared, making clear that migration restrictions should not hinder the work of the Public Ministry.
"I cannot accept that the work I have been carrying out as Prosecutor General of the State, a position granted democratically in accordance with Bolivian institutional rules, be questioned by decisions or statements from abroad," Mariaca stated, adding that he would not allow his track record and image to be damaged without the possibility of clarifying the facts through the appropriate channels.
The Cerimedo case and other ongoing investigations
Mariaca emphasised that he would continue with all processes from his administration, including investigations of international relevance, among them the so-called "narco-suitcases" and fuel cases, as well as the case of political operative Fernando Cerimedo, currently held at Chonchocoro.
Cerimedo, indicated by the Bolivian Prosecutor's Office for the alleged crime of "attempted feminicide" for allegedly having sent "hitmen" to murder his ex-partner, lawyer Nadia Beller, also faces open cases for money laundering, domestic violence and alleged concealment of flights linked to drug trafficking.
"We know that some investigations cross national borders, and the Cerimedo case, for example, has generated concerns and repercussions in various political spheres, but no political pressure, national or international, should hinder the investigation of the facts that must be examined," emphasised the prosecutor, who assured: "I will not back down one inch in the investigations corresponding to my administration."
Institutional reactions and new restrictions announced
Departmental prosecutor Alberto Zeballos indicated, according to La Razón, that he had requested official information through the Foreign Ministry regarding the reasons for the United States decision and confirmed that he would continue with his investigations.
The case has caused considerable upheaval in Bolivia. The Prosecutor General's Office denied that Mariaca had met with Uruguayan drug trafficker Sebastián Marset before he was extradited to the United States, and demanded proof supporting such a claim. The Bolivian government, for its part, announced that it would request from Washington the background information supporting the accusations against Mariaca and other affected citizens.
Amid the controversy, the United States announced that it will impose visa restrictions on 20 other Bolivian officials, whose names have not been disclosed to date.
Source: Google News BO — La Paz