Prosecutor Martín Irusta appears before constitutional judge in La Paz after arrest on drug trafficking charges
Justice examines in hearing the habeas corpus motion filed by prosecutor Irusta, arrested on alleged links to a criminal drug trafficking network.
Hearing in La Paz examines motion of arrested prosecutor Irusta
Bolivian justice examined on Friday the habeas corpus motion filed by prosecutor Martín Irusta, detained by police as part of an investigation into alleged links to drug trafficking, according to El Deber.
Around 9:00 on Friday 2 October, Irusta was transferred to Constitutional Chamber 3 in La Paz, where the hearing was held in person for the arrested party. His defence participated virtually. The motion was filed with the aim of preventing a possible extradition of the prosecutor under investigation.
The proceedings that led to Irusta's arrest began on the night of Wednesday 1 October. Police first apprehended Major Rubén Aparicio, and based on statements collected during the investigation, subsequently arrested prosecutors Róger Mariaca and Alberto Zeballos in Santa Cruz. Irusta was arrested in Sucre.
The authorities of the Bolivian Government are investigating an alleged criminal network linked to drug trafficking that reportedly operated within the Public Prosecutor's Office. Mariaca and the other investigated parties are presumed to be responsible for covering up this structure. In addition to the three prosecutors and the police major, six other people were arrested during operations deployed in Santa Cruz.
Source: El Deber