Senior prosecutor Martín Irusta arrested in Sucre while removing documents linked to Marset case
Senior prosecutor Martín Irusta was detained at the General Prosecutor's Office in Sucre along with other persons. The operation is part of an investigation into links between Public Ministry officials and drug trafficker Sebastián Marset.
Senior prosecutor detained in Sucre whilst attempting to remove compromised documentation
Senior prosecutor Martín Daniel Irusta Flores was arrested at the facilities of the General Prosecutor's Office in Sucre, according to El Deber. The general commander of the Bolivian Police, Colonel Adrián Álvarez, confirmed that Irusta was found along with other persons who allegedly attempted to remove documentation linked to the facts under investigation.
"In the city of Sucre, the arrest of Martín Daniel Irusta Flores is being carried out, who was found at the General Prosecutor's Office, together with other persons who intended to remove documentation, possibly linked with the facts that are being investigated," said Álvarez.
Simultaneous operation in three cities
Irusta's detention took place within the framework of operations executed between the night of Wednesday, 30 September and the early morning of Thursday, 1 October, with parallel actions in the prosecutor's offices of Sucre, La Paz and Santa Cruz. Police also arrested the state attorney general, Róger Mariaca; the departmental prosecutor of Santa Cruz, Alberto Zeballos; and police major Rubén Aparicio Villarreal.
Álvarez noted that Irusta was immediately transferred to La Paz following his detention, on account of his "possible involvement" in the facts being investigated.
Links with drug trafficker Sebastián Marset
The arrests form part of an investigation into alleged links between Public Ministry authorities and Uruguayan drug trafficker Sebastián Marset. According to Police, officials allegedly facilitated Marset's operations and stays in Bolivian territory. The offences being investigated include criminal organisation, money laundering and illicit trafficking in controlled substances.
The Government Minister, Marco Antonio Oviedo, stated that during the night and early morning, "a criminal organisation entrenched in the justice system and administration" of the Public Ministry was dismantled, which under Mariaca's leadership would have acted to "encourage and protect narco-terrorism in the country".
Former lawyer for Evo Morales appointed senior prosecutor in February
Irusta, who also worked as a lawyer for former president Evo Morales, was appointed senior prosecutor in February of this year. His detention adds to that of Mariaca, whose arrest triggered the operations of recent hours.
The investigation continues to be ongoing. It will be the Public Ministry itself that will define the legal situation of those arrested based on the evidence incorporated into the proceedings, Police indicated.
Source: El Deber