Bolivia's new police commander given orders to combat narco-terrorism
Interim president Rodrigo Paz appointed Adrián Álvarez as the new police commander. He tasked him with confronting narco-terrorism and organised crime.
Paz demands "direct and permanent" fight against organised crime
Bolivia's interim president, Rodrigo Paz, appointed the new senior leadership of the National Police on Monday in a ceremony held at the former Government Palace in La Paz, according to holanews.com. Adrián Álvarez took office as commander general with an explicit mandate to combat "narco-terrorism" and other crimes that, in Paz's words, "threaten the families" of the country.
At the same ceremony, Roger Roca Saavedra was appointed as deputy commander general and head of the Police General Staff, and Franz Cabrera as inspector general of the institution. The appointments came hours after Mirko Sokol stepped down from his post, considering that his "cycle" at the head of the Police had concluded.
Presidential address
"Bolivia needs a direct and permanent fight" against "organised crime, drug trafficking, the narco-terrorism that lurks" in the nation, Paz stated during his address. The president warned that one cannot "allow territories where the law retreats before crime" and noted that those who "violate these territories against national sovereignty must pay for that crime".
"Where crime exists, the State must exist and end that crime. Where violence exists, authority must exist; where corruption exists, investigation and punishment must exist," Paz emphasised, describing this approach as the "line and central axis" of his government.
For his part, Álvarez noted that one of his "first tasks" would be "prevention in the fight against criminality".
Sokol's departure amid controversy
Sokol's resignation was surrounded by several controversies. In early August, the now former commander stated that the capture of former president Evo Morales "is not a priority", despite the former leader—who governed Bolivia between 2006 and 2019—facing two active arrest warrants.
Morales is accused of aggravated human trafficking over an alleged relationship with a minor with whom he reportedly fathered a daughter in 2016 while serving as president. He is also under investigation for terrorism and armed uprising, in connection with his alleged involvement in social protests in May and June. The Government responded at the time, through minister Oviedo, that detaining Morales is a "priority task".
Additionally, Sokol faces an investigation opened over an audio released in July in which he allegedly revealed the existence of a group of senior officers who organised a collection of two million dollars with the aim of manipulating promotions and succession of the police command.
Source: Google News BO — Crime