Trial against former COB leader Huarachi remains pending since May in Bolivia
Juan Carlos Huarachi, former leader of the COB, faces trial for abuse of influence and extortion. The charge of illicit enrichment was dismissed by the Public Prosecutor's Office.
Former COB chief detained in Oruro whilst awaiting start of oral trial
The trial against Juan Carlos Huarachi, former leader of the Bolivian Workers' Centre (COB), remains awaiting its start since May of this year, when the Public Prosecutor's Office filed formal charges for the offences of abuse of influence and extortion, according to El Deber. The third charge against Huarachi—illicit enrichment—was dismissed by prosecutor Aldo Meza on 25 May, a day before the charge was formalised, after concluding that there were insufficient evidentiary elements to sustain it in oral trial.
On Monday morning, Huarachi was apprehended in the city of Oruro and immediately transferred to La Paz, where he was held in San Pedro prison. The measure was executed under a preventive detention order issued by the trial judge.
Defence attorney Andrés Zúñiga questioned the circumstances of the operation. "They said that undercover intelligence agents had carried out an operation to capture Juan Carlos Huarachi, but this is not true either and the Police itself can verify it," he stated. Zúñiga further clarified that his client had not fled, but was awaiting compliance with the order.
The case originated from a complaint by Claudia Cortez, who reportedly identified Huarachi as the recipient of bribe payments from former minister Juan Santos Cruz. The latter is currently serving a ten-year sentence for that matter. Cortez, described by Zúñiga as the former minister's collector, does not participate in the process as an accuser, although she appears on the witness list for the trial along with three other people.
The summoned witnesses include former deputies Freddy López Choque and Héctor Arce Rodríguez—who made the public denunciation of these payments—and Ciro Ferrari Etienne. The accusing parties in the process are the Vice-Ministry of Transparency and the Public Prosecutor's Office.
"We are on the verge of trial, because the evidence of the charge by the vice-ministry and by the prosecutor's office has already been filed with the court," said Zúñiga, who situated the case around a notarised letter signed by Claudia Cortez.
Source: El Deber