October 13, 2024, 12:36 PM
October 13, 2024, 12:36 PM
The Minister of Justice, César Siles, considered that the Public Ministry should reject the complaint filed by Evista deputy Héctor Arce against President Luis Arce. The authority stated that there are “irregular procedures” in the claim, since the defendant, being head of state, is responsible for a trial of responsibilities that must begin with an accusatory proposition and not with a “simple” complaint. In addition, Siles pointed out that the lawsuit does not have the signature of the alleged victim and the person who publicly denounced the president.
“The procedures adopted in the country are totally irregular, totally contrary to the Constitution, the law, and the normal parameters that should govern due process. A liability trial, in accordance with Law 044, requires an accusatory proposition and not a complaint. It is the first irregularity, since several formal requirements are not met and that implies that the Prosecutor’s Office should act accordingly and within the period established by the norm, Law 044, it should reject the same (complaint),” Siles said in an interview with the media. state.
In the midst of an internal fight in the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS), Evo Morales’s side filed a complaint with the Prosecutor’s Office against Luis Arce for having committed abuse of power and sexual harassment of a young woman. The same woman was the one who publicly made the complaint, but Deputy Héctor Arce initiated the legal process.
According to the young woman’s complaint, three years ago she had a romantic relationship for six months. with President Arce in exchange, supposedly, for being appointed vice minister of Sports, something that didn’t happen. The woman claimed that she had encounters – even drinking alcoholic beverages – with the president in the Casa Grande del Pueblo and in other places and maintained that she even became pregnant and that she lost her child after suffering a motorcycle accident.
“We are six victims that he (Luis Arce) has silenced with work.” and has abused power, “He has harassed me and threatened me,” stated the complainant.
For Minister Siles, this case has “many irregularities” that warrant the Prosecutor’s Office to decline its participation in the investigation. The second observation made by the authority is about the classification of the alleged crimes. “The reported crimes have no legal basis. The first, improper use of influence, because technically it requires a financial benefit, an economic benefit that has nothing similar to the facts reported,” said Siles.
The authority continued: “The second (crime), the improper use of State property, is not classified as a crime that can give rise to a liability trial.” Then, Siles said that the victim did not file the complaint and those who filed the lawsuit were five deputies from the Evista wing..
