(Adnkronos) – The former president of Bolivia, Luis Arce, has been arrested in La Paz as part of an investigation into alleged corruption. The government of the South American country announced this. The investigation refers to the period when Arce was Minister of Economy under then-president Evo Morales, in office from 2006 to 2019. The former president is accused of having authorized transfers from the public treasury to the personal accounts of political leaders. Arce has not yet made any statements, but his former colleague María Nela Prada declared that he is innocent and described the arrest as a “total abuse of power.”
According to the arrest warrant issued by the Ministry of Interior, the Attorney General’s office has requested Arce’s arrest for alleged crimes of “breach of duty and uneconomical conduct.” Attorney General Roger Mariaca told local media that Arce, president from 2020 until last month, exercised his right to remain silent during police questioning. He stated that Arce will remain in police custody overnight before being brought before a judge who will decide whether he will remain detained pending trial.
