Bolivia: Ex-coup minister sentenced in absentia in trial

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The former Minister of Communication of the Bolivian de facto government of Jeanine Áñez (2019-2020), Roxana Lizárraga, was sentenced ‘in absentia’ during the judicial hearing of preventive measures carried out by a criminal investigation judge of La Paz on March 23.

Lizárraga was part of Jeanine Áñez’s Cabinet at the proposal of the then civic Fernando Camacho, one of the main organizers of the Coup d’état against Evo Morales in November 2019.

The Prosecutor’s Office summoned her to testify in the framework of the investigations for the illegal importation of non-lethal weaponry, such as tear gas, from Ecuador.

According to the departmental prosecutor of La Paz, William Alave Laura, the accused did not attend the hearing and did not justify herself, so the jurisdictional authority assessed the extremes and declared her in absentia.

Alave said: “Today (March 23) the hearing of precautionary measures was held at 14:00 hours against the ex-authority and having complied with the legal notification, through edicts, as provided by law, the accused did not attend the hearing nor justified his absence, the judge assessed these extremes and declared the default”.

The former minister of the de facto government is being investigated for the alleged crimes of illicit arms trafficking, possession, carrying or carrying and use of non-conventional weapons, and breach of duties since there are indications that she facilitated chemical agents from Ecuador to enter the country.

The anti-corruption coordinating prosecutor in charge of the case, Eddy Flores, recalled that the investigation against the former state official began because it was determined that on November 15, 2019, at the beginning of the period opened by the coup d’état, she had a meeting in the Government Palace with the then de facto president Jeanine Añez and the former ministers of Government and Defense, Arturo Murillo and Fernando López, respectively.

According to the prosecutor’s accusatory version, Lizárraga made a telephone call to a police officer of the Republic of Ecuador on that occasion, when it was agreed that Ecuador would provide riot weapons consisting of 5,000 units of LG-302 hand grenades, 2,389 long-range projectiles of 37 mm caliber, 560 short-range projectiles of 37 mm caliber, and 500 sound and flash grenades for exteriors.

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