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The U.S. has accused former Bolivian Interior Minister Arturo Murillo of receiving bribery from U.S. companies and individuals.
The United States has arrested former Bolivian interim government cabinet minister Jeanine Anez on charges of bribery and money laundering.
In one statement on Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice denounced former Interior Minister Arturo Murillo and his former chief of staff Sergio Mendez for “receiving a bribe paid by a U.S. company and individuals to secure a Bolivian government contract.”
The department accused the couple of “then using the U.S. financial system to whitewash these bribes”.
Three U.S. citizens were also prosecuted in connection with the alleged purchase, which occurred between November 2019 and April 2020.
Americans are accused of paying $ 602,000 to Bolivian officials, the Justice Department said, in order to secure a $ 5.6 million contract to provide the Bolivian defense ministry with tear gas and other undead equipment.
Five men have been charged with conspiracy to launder money. If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison.
In Bolivia, they also want Murillo on charges of sedition for his work in the interim administration of Anez.
Anez came to power after Bolivia’s first indigenous president, Evo Morales, resigned in November 2019 amid pressure from some citizens, armed forces and opposition leaders, who accused him of stealing elections a month earlier.
Morales he returned Exiled from Argentina last November after his candidacy for the Movement for Socialism (MAS) he won long-awaited presidential polls.
They were Anez and other former officials arrested in March and accused of attempting a coup. It was him ordered arrested and sentenced to four months in prison.
But Murillo left Bolivia before the arrest warrant.
He played a major role in chasing after Morales and his key supporters with accusations of sedition and terrorism, and came under fire for heavy military and police responses. protests, which saw dozens dead.
Human rights groups and international observers criticized the Bolivian government for the arrest of Anez and his ministers, and stressed the importance of a proper process.
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