What Happens Next in Bolivia’s US$127 Million Radar Case
BOLIVIA · LA PAZ
Key Facts
- —The country Bolivia is a landlocked Andean country led by President Rodrigo Paz since November 2025. Its prosecutors answer to an interim attorney general chosen by the Legislative Assembly.
- —Why it matters The case tests whether a government can recover public money from contracts signed under three administrations. The possible loss is Bs 1.478 billion (about US$127 million).
- —Why now The Defence Ministry filed a criminal complaint on Thursday 15 October 2026. Three of the four former ministers named had answered publicly by Friday morning.
- —What happened The complaint names 19 people, including four former defence ministers, and asks prosecutors to investigate. It also asks for a preventive note on the assets of those named, and no charge has been laid.
- —The numbers Contract: over 191 million euros (about US$214 million at US$1.1208 per euro on 15 October). Delivery: about 98 months against 31 planned. Radars: 2 of 13 worked without observations. Interim attorney general term: 90 days.
- —What it means for you Suppliers to Bolivian state buyers may face audits of old contracts and their amendments. Flights are not described as affected.
- —Still open Whether prosecutors open a formal case, how the loss was calculated, and who leads the Ministerio Público after the interim term.
- —Power Index Bolivia ranks 12th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 28.4 points (October 2026 edition).
The Bolivia radar case next steps now sit with prosecutors, after the Defence Ministry filed a criminal complaint on Thursday 15 October 2026. The complaint over the SIDACTA air-defence system names 19 people, including four former defence ministers, and nobody has been charged.
This guide follows the legal and political path ahead, using Bolivian outlets and the text of the criminal procedure code. For the filing itself see our report Bolivia SIDACTA Criminal Complaint Names 19, and for the contract history see SIDACTA Bolivia Radar Procurement Explained.
What the Complaint Asks Prosecutors to Do
The ministry filed it with the Ministerio Público, backed by the Procuraduría General del Estado, the state’s legal defender, and the Vice-Ministry of Transparency. Procurador Hugo César León said it asks prosecutors to investigate and to order a preventive note on the assets of those named.
The four alleged offences are contracts harmful to the state, breach of contract, uneconomic conduct and breach of duties. Only eju.tv, citing the complaint, reports an allegation that one bidder was chosen without a sufficiently documented comparison.
Defence Minister Ernesto Justiniano told Radio El Deber that the government chose to close the matter through a complaint instead of seeking another settlement. Each contract amendment must be judged by the courts, he said, and he hopes for a quick decision.
How a Bolivian Complaint Becomes a Case
Under the criminal procedure code, a querella is a written filing before a prosecutor that gives the complainant full participation from the moment it is filed. The ministry is using that route on behalf of the state.
The prosecutor then directs the investigation and must tell the investigating judge within 24 hours that it has begun. If the evidence on the act and the suspect’s part is sufficient, the prosecutor can file a formal charge called an imputación formal.
The prosecutor can also order more inquiries or reject the complaint, and the parties can object to a rejection within five days. A senior prosecutor then has ten days to confirm or revoke it.
A prosecutor or an accused person can also ask a judge to rule on whether the complaint is admissible, within three days of notice. We read these steps in the code text on the Lexivox legal database, and later amendments were not checked.
Article 112 of the Constitution says crimes by public servants that harm state assets and cause grave economic damage cannot expire. Whether the radar case meets that test is for prosecutors and judges, and no source says it has been decided.
Bolivia Radar Case Next Steps Inside the Prosecution Service
The Ministerio Público is led by interim attorney general Armando Urioste, elected by the Legislative Assembly after it suspended Roger Mariaca. He was sworn in on 5 October for 90 days, which runs to early January 2027 by our count.
Vice-President Edmand Lara first questioned the procedure, and Senate president Diego Ávila later said President Paz had suggested his name. Urioste says a businessman friend sent his CV and denies any payment.
No report we reviewed says who will handle the radar file or when a decision on a formal charge is due. The choice between a charge, more inquiries or rejection is the first real test of the complaint.
What the Former Ministers Have Said
Luis Fernando López, who served under Jeanine Áñez, wrote on X that he is at the defence minister’s disposal and wants to defend himself in freedom. Oxígeno Digital reported that he is willing to return to the country.
Javier Zavaleta, who served under Evo Morales, said the radars were working when he left and that the government must show why a minister is to blame. He called the complaint political, said he fears arrest and planned to file a memorial with prosecutors on Friday 16 October.
Reymi Ferreira, who signed the original contract, said he will appear and does not fear the process, but wants due process. He said he is convinced he bears no responsibility, and that upkeep was the contractor’s duty while the operations centre was still being built.
Edmundo Novillo, who served under Luis Arce, had not been quoted in the reports we reviewed, and nor had the contractor. Justiniano has said nobody is accused merely for holding office, and that there will be no cover-up and no pre-judgment.
The Politics Around the Radar Case
The four ministers served under three governments: two under Morales, one under Áñez and one under Arce. That spread lets both sides of Bolivian politics claim the case proves their point.
Zavaleta calls the complaint political, and Ferreira suggested it may help the government escape its own responsibilities. The government says it is defending public money and that the courts will decide.
The Legislative Assembly shapes the prosecution service because it elected the interim attorney general this month and suspended his predecessor. We found no report of an Assembly inquiry or debate on SIDACTA in the sources reviewed.
A Timeline of the Possible Steps Ahead
On Friday 16 October Zavaleta said he would file his memorial, and other accused people may do the same. The code says prosecutors must inform the investigating judge when an investigation starts.
The sources give no date for the next decision, so the first visible signs would be an announced investigation, summons for the accused or a request for precautionary measures. A request to note liens on assets would be the clearest sign that the ministry’s demand has been taken up.
In early January 2027 the interim term ends, and the sources do not say who then leads the office. A change of attorney general in mid-case could slow or reshape the file.
What It Means for You
For US readers, the case shows a new government reviewing defence deals made by its predecessors, which matters to contractors and lenders dealing with Bolivian state buyers. The system covers civil and military airspace control, which touches regional security.
Flights and airport operations are not described as affected, and the ministry says some radars work. For the prosecution service itself, see our report Bolivia Swears In Interim Attorney General for 90 Days.
What Is Not Known
The complaint has not been published, so its contents come from the ministry, the Procuraduría and the outlets that relayed them. The paid share is 97.85 per cent in most reports and 97.7 per cent in eju.tv.
The sources differ on the contract year, with most saying 2016 and eju.tv saying 2015. It has not been stated which contractor representatives, if any, are among the 19 people.
The contractor has not been quoted, and no prosecutor has said whether a case is open. We also do not know how the Bs 1.478 billion (about US$127 million at the official Bs 11.68 per dollar on 15 October) was calculated.
No court date, arrest order or precautionary measure has been reported. Every person named is presumed innocent.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens after a complaint is filed in Bolivia?
A prosecutor directs the investigation and must inform an investigating judge within 24 hours that it has started. The prosecutor can then file a formal charge, order more inquiries or reject the complaint.
Has anyone been charged in the radar case?
No charge has been laid, and no court has ruled. The complaint asks prosecutors to investigate 19 people, including four former defence ministers.
What have the former ministers said?
López says he is at the minister’s disposal, and Ferreira says he will appear and wants due process. Zavaleta says he will go to prosecutors to learn the evidence, and Novillo has not been quoted in the reports we reviewed.
Who investigates the case?
The Ministerio Público investigates, led by interim attorney general Armando Urioste since 5 October. His 90-day term runs to early January 2027 by our count.
Can the case still be brought years later?
Article 112 of the Constitution says crimes by public servants that harm state assets and cause grave economic damage cannot expire. Whether the radar case meets that test has not been decided.
Sources: Opinión (Cochabamba), 15 October 2026; Los Tiempos, 15 October 2026; El Diario, 16 October 2026; eju.tv, 15 October 2026; eju.tv, 16 October 2026; Oxígeno Digital, 16 October 2026; Oxígeno Digital, 15 October 2026; Oxígeno Digital, 5 October 2026; Oxígeno Digital, 9 October 2026; Código de Procedimiento Penal (Ley 1970), Lexivox; Constitución Política del Estado, Lexivox; Banco Central de Bolivia, official exchange-rate table, October 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error