Prosecutor of the ‘million-dollar bribes’ case talks about 15 deliveries of money and a deputy minister involved

At least 15 deliveries of money from Claudia Cortez to former Environment Minister Juan Santos Cruz, is what was recorded in the statement of the key witness of the corruption scandal that shakes the Government. The name of the Vice Minister of Drinking Water, Carmelo Valda, also appeared, to whom the prosecutor said that he will be summoned if he finds more elements.

“Indeed, deliveries would have been made in different places, there is not a single date, there is not a single way of delivering money, it was done directly, in cash, through transactions, or also through transfers to people that the same former authority indicated. There are approximately 15 deliveries, it is an estimate,” said prosecutor Franklin Alborta, in charge of investigating this case.

Juan Santos Cruz, who was Minister of the Environment, has been detained since May 16 accused of legitimizing illegal earnings, along with him his nephew, Jhonny Alexander Santos Sánchez, and the ex-minister’s trusted woman, Rosa Viviana Bautista, are already in custody. This Tuesday, the main witness of that scandal, Claudia Cortez, appeared to testify, who provided the names of those most involved in this network.

Prosecutor Alborta also said that if more data is found against the Vice Minister Valda, he will be summoned to declare. It is unknown if he continues to hold the position, since on May 20 the new minister, Rubén Mendez, asked his collaborators to make the positions available to him.

Meanwhile, the deputy Héctor Arce denounced that the Sunday before Santos was apprehended documents were burned in ministry facilities, when the minister had already resigned; because Santos resigned on Friday, May 12. According to deputy Arce’s complaint, this burning of evidence happened on Sunday the 14th.

“On Sunday they burn the leaves, making evidence disappear, an official was there burning evidence that they were in that ministry. We are very sorry, Mr. Luis Arce Catacora, that you do not listen to your legislators, who were chosen by the Bolivian people to supervise”, said the legislator from the ‘evista’ wing.

remembered that he had a meeting with the Head of State in December 2021 and the irregularities in that ministry and also in the Social Productive Fund (FPS) were already known, but he regretted that these complaints have not been heard by Arce.