Bolivia's Attorney General Roger Mariaca removed from office and imprisoned over links to organised crime
The Legislative Assembly removed Roger Mariaca from office and a judge sent him to preventive detention for six months, charged with money laundering and drug trafficking.
Bolivia imprisons attorney general over organised crime links
Bolivia's Legislative Assembly removed Attorney General Roger Mariaca from office on Saturday, while a judge ordered his detention in a prison in the south of the country, according to courant.com. The measure comes six days after the United States revoked his visa over alleged links to organised crime.
Judge Juan Carlos Montalbán, following a virtual hearing lasting more than 15 hours, determined that Mariaca would serve six months in preventive detention. The charges against him are money laundering, drug trafficking and criminal organisation. Shortly before the judicial ruling, parliament approved his removal from office and appointed an interim attorney general.
Two other prosecutors and a police officer linked to Mariaca were also removed from office and will be prosecuted on the same charges. The four will conduct their defence from prison, in accordance with the judge's decision.
Mariaca, appointed in 2024 during the government of Luis Arce, is accused of protecting alleged Uruguayan drug trafficker Sebastián Marset. The latter was captured and handed over to the United States DEA in March; he operated in eastern Bolivia whilst being sought in several countries across the continent.
"We have broken up a criminal structure that was led by Mariaca," said Government Minister Marco Antonio Oviedo, following the attorney general's detention.
The case takes on additional dimensions because Mariaca was leading an investigation against Fernando Cerimedo, an adviser to Bolivian president Rodrigo Paz. Cerimedo, of Argentine nationality, is detained and faces an accusation of attempted femicide against a former girlfriend. His detention generated international repercussions due to his links with governments of the new Latin American right.
Mariaca's detention has reignited debate over corruption in the Bolivian judicial system. It has also prompted expressions of support for Paz from the Shield for the Americas, the alliance of right-wing governments led by United States president Donald Trump, aimed at combating organised crime.
The case is unfolding at a time of mounting pressure for Paz. The government faces rising social discontent stemming from the elimination of diesel subsidies, a measure that increased food prices and reduced the population's purchasing power. The Cerimedo scandal adds to a series of episodes that have damaged the president's image.
Source: Google News BO — Crime