A Bolivian court has issued an arrest warrant for former president Evo Morales, who faces accusations of statutory r*pe and human trafficking after failing to appear for testimony.
Morales is alleged to have fathered a child with an unnamed 15-year-old girl in 2016 while serving as president at the age of 57.
According to the lawsuit, the girl’s parents allegedly consented to the relationship in exchange for unspecified political favors. Morales, who resigned in 2019 amid unrest over disputed election results, has dismissed the allegations as fabrications designed to undermine the popular movement he led.
The lawsuit claims the victim was a member of Morales’ political youth guard in 2015, and that their relationship began at that time. The following year, the girl reportedly gave birth to a daughter, whom Morales is accused of fathering.
Morales now faces potential arrest for failing to comply with a summons issued by the prosecutor’s office in the Tarija department. The victim’s parents, who also failed to testify, are likewise subject to arrest.
In Bolivia, statutory r*pe is only investigated if a complaint is filed by the victim or their parents. Morales’ lawyer has called the investigation “illegal,” noting that a similar case in 2020 was closed due to insufficient evidence.
The prosecutor has expanded the investigation to include charges of human trafficking and smuggling, suspecting the girl’s parents enrolled her in Morales’ youth wing for political and personal gain.
Morales, Bolivia’s first Indigenous president, claims the charges are part of a smear campaign orchestrated by his political rival, current president Luis Arce. He accused the government of waging a “judicial war” to discredit him, stating that Arce’s administration is acting in line with past right-wing governments and the interests of the White House.
Morales continues to assert that the allegations are politically motivated, urging the government to stay out of his “family matters.”
