Former Bolivian President Evo Morales, former Vice President Álvaro García Linera and former Minister of Government (Interior) Carlos Romero will be summoned to testify as witnesses in the case known as “coup d’état I”. Due to this attack, the governor of Santa Cruz, the opponent Luis Fernando Camacho, has preventive detention.
As a result of a memorial presented by the defense of the Santa Cruz authority – accepted by the Public Ministry – the statement of Morales, García Linera and Romero was requested. This was reported by Martín Camacho, lawyer for the governor of Santa Cruz.
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The lawyer indicated that the Public Ministry has requested data through a fiscal requirement to the General Service of Personal Identification (Segip) and the Civil Registry Service (Sereci). This in order to know the addresses of the witnesses so that they can soon provide their testimonial statements.
Why should Morales, Romero and García testify?
The jurist highlighted the importance of the three ex-authorities of Bolivia providing their statement. Specifically after accusations from the Public Ministry that point to a preliminary agreement between Camacho and the police to provide him with special security when he arrived in La Paz in the midst of the 2019 political and social conflict in the country.
Then, Camacho indicated that it is relevant that Romero testify because he -as government minister at that time- guaranteed the security of the Santa Cruz governor to deliver a letter to then-president Morales.
“This disrupts and destroys the hypothesis of the Public Ministry in its accusation that says that there was a prior agreement between Camacho supposedly through his father with the police to provide him with special security. That is why it is important that Mr. Carlos Romero give his statement,” the lawyer stressed.
Regarding the declaration of Morales and García Linera, he maintained that it will be important when they make their voluntary decision to resign their positions known.
Presumed innocence to the governor of Santa Cruz
«There has been no pressure exerted directly by Mr. Luis Fernando Camacho. Neither on Evo Morales, nor Álvaro García Linera so that they resign from their position and later they themselves – of their own free will – decide to leave the country to create a power vacuum, “emphasized the jurist.
Governor of Santa Cruz detained for coup, Fernando Camacho, enacts law to continue in office
Camacho is accused of the alleged crimes of terrorism, active bribery and seduction of troops that occurred during the 2019 crisis. Facts that led to the resignation of then-President Morales. The former president has been detained in a maximum security prison in La Paz since December of last year.
Two coups in Bolivia
The ruling party points out that in 2019 there was a coup against Morales. But the opposition holds another hypothesis. The protests that led to the resignation of Morales have to do with the fraud in his favor in the annulled elections of that year.
Likewise, this month a Bolivian judge extended the preventive detention of the former temporary president for the sixth time. The term is three months within the framework of the investigation of this case.
In addition, he already has a sentence of 10 years in prison for the “coup d’état II” case. Áñez is accused of illegally placing herself in the succession after the resignation of Morales and other authorities.