Huarachi held in preventive detention: transferred to La Paz after revocation of home arrest
Former COB secretary Juan Carlos Huarachi was arrested in Oruro and transferred to La Paz for breach of his home detention order.
Former COB leader arrested in Oruro and sent to La Paz
Former executive secretary of the Bolivian Workers' Centre (COB) Juan Carlos Huarachi was arrested on Monday morning in Oruro, according to unitel.bo. The detention was carried out in connection with the case of alleged bribes linked to the defunct Ministry of Environment and Water during the government of Luis Arce.
Undercover agents executed the judicial order after 9:00 that same day. Huarachi was transferred to the city of La Paz, where the courts will determine his legal status.
Fourth Penal Chamber revoked home arrest
Abel Loma, lawyer for the complainant's side, explained the scope of the measure. "He is in preventive detention; what has been done is to enforce a preventive detention order that Juan Carlos Huarachi had, a provision issued by the Fourth Penal Chamber of the La Paz department," Loma stated.
The lawyer specified that the chamber had determined to revoke the home arrest from which Huarachi had benefited, a ruling that was later upheld in a habeas corpus action.
Chronology of the case
In April of this year, the Eighth Anti-Corruption Court of La Paz had replaced preventive detention with home arrest for Huarachi. However, in May the Fourth Penal Chamber of the La Paz Departmental Court of Justice revoked that measure for non-compliance.
The former leader had been in preventive detention since November 2025. Initially he was held in San Pedro prison and was subsequently transferred to Chonchocoro penal facility.
Loma also reported that more than six months of investigation had already passed and that a formal accusation ruling had been issued against Huarachi.
Accusations of Bs 40,000 and irregular charges
Huarachi is accused of having received approximately Bs 40,000 from former Minister of Environment and Water Juan Santos Cruz. Additionally, he is attributed with alleged irregular charges linked to the National Health Fund (CNS).
Source: Google News BO — La Paz