June 16, 2023, 4:00 AM
June 16, 2023, 4:00 AM
The executive secretary of the Single Trade Union Confederation of Peasant Workers of Bolivia (Csutcb), Ever Rojas, denied having received $10,000 and Bs 30,000 in his office, product of bribes, from former Minister of Environment and Water Juan Santos Cruz and from his assistant turned whistleblower, Claudia Cortez. But, admitted that he did receive money from the Government, specifically from the ministries of the Presidency, Public Works and, indeed, the Environment and Water to finance tickets and organize congresses in their sector during times of turmoil in Santa Cruz.
In an extended eight-hour statement, made this week, Claudia Cortez said that she and former minister Cruz went to the office of the leader Rojas, located in the Miraflores neighborhood of La Paz, and they gave him US$ 10,000 and Bs 30,000 in cash.
Cruz is imprisoned in San Pedro, because Cortez denounced that he set up a scheme to collect bribes in the ministry to award public works to companies.
This medium spoke yesterday with the executive of the peasants. “I don’t know that lady Claudia. I want to tell her and make it clear that neither she nor former minister Santos (Cruz) they have never come to my office to pay me the money you point out. I don’t understand why they accuse me and put me in this dance,” Rojas said.
He considered that “she is looking to get free by victimizing herself. What I wonder, I don’t understand, why with me? Could it be that he wants to involve social organizations, damage the image of our president?
On the other hand, he denied that Santos Cruz had allowed him to even suggest the name of a company. “I tell you in confidence. Here at Csutcb, with brother Javier Ríos who belongs to the Executive Committee and has a company, we once visited Juan Santos Cruz to ask him to give him a contract. I am frank, anything I can talk about. There was a tender for a work and we told the minister ‘brother, come on, he’s from the executive committee.’ He told us no, because he could not waste his image, ‘I am an authority’, that’s how he has bowled us. That’s why we’ve never gone again.”
Ever Rojas pointed out that the Prosecutor’s Office has not cited him. “If they summon me, of course I will go to clarify, because apart from this lady there is also a colleague who said that we meet at midnight for strange things. They are going to have to prove it, I am going to sue those who raise my name, they are going to have to prove it to me, ”she asserted.
However, he admitted that “when we had problems and difficulties in the department of Santa Cruz, not only Juan Santos Cruz has helped us, but also the Minister of the Presidency, María Nela Prada, and the Minister of Public Works, Edgar Montaño”specific.
This medium asked what problems he was referring to, and he replied: “Three ministers helped us with resources to the organization of congresses in Santa Cruz to unify the Unique of that region.”
In addition, he pointed out that they asked the ministers for help, “as an executive committee, to help us in the transfer of people to Santa Cruz for the congress in that region. Minister Prada collaborated with us in organizing the event, and it was not a single trip, we have made many trips. After Brother Montaño, from Public Works, has helped us. The last one was the partner Santos Cruz, who gave us Bs 8,000. And I emphasize, they were Bolivians, it would be nice in dollars as this lady says, but it was in national currency, ”she stressed.
He did not want to provide the amounts delivered by the other two ministries, but he stated that Santos Cruz delivered the money in cash, and he did it in his office in the Casa Grande, not in the Csutcb.
Neither the Ministry of the Presidency nor the Ministry of Public Works spoke on this issue, despite being aware of the content of Rojas’ statement.
In fact, the Government of Luis Arce has made strategic alliances with representatives of social sectors. The leader Ever Rojas has been one of them. He traveled with President Arce as a guest to the Permanent Assembly of the United Nations, held in New York, USA. This, moreover, It has caused the leader antibodies within the Csutcb, there are sectors that question it and ask that it be changed of the charge from
an emergency assembly.
This has also been part of the internal struggle between ‘evistas’ and ‘arcistas’ within the MAS. In fact, A motion for the expulsion of President Luis Arce and Vice President David Choquehuanca is already ringing in the party.
Former President Evo Morales wrote yesterday on his Twitter account: “If any authority thinks that he came to office because of his supposed fame or personal merit and not because of his accompaniment, the loyalty and organic commitment of the MAS-IPSP, is demonstrating that it does not belong to our Political Instrument from town”.
He added that “they ungratefully despise the sacrifice of our militancy, sisters and brothers who offered their freedom and their lives in the campaign against the coup plotters. Let the people judge. It has been shown who have used the MAS-IPSP and now seek its division and destruction”said.
During the 36-day civic strike last year, the Csutcb announced that he would send a million peasants to reinforce a fence around the city who was protesting to demand the census in 2023.
On December 29, after the arrest of the governor of Santa Cruz, Luis Fernando Camacho, he issued a resolution of support. “In an expanded national emergency, a resolution supporting the national government was issued, democratically elected with more than 55% of the votes, in the face of threats of instability and upheaval.
We declared a state of emergency before the announcement of civil war and separatism by the Pro Santa Cruz Civic Committee,” Ever Rojas said then. Through a resolution, the arrest of Camacho in the Coup d’état I case was also supported, because he considered the Santa Cruz authority as one of those responsible for the violation of fundamental rights and loss of human life.
The union body reproached the taking and burning of public institutions and private property by radical groups related to Camacho, after his apprehension on Wednesday in Santa Cruz. “We denounce the Bolivian people and the international community that these armed groups that staged the Coup d’état in 2019, which intimidated the people of Santa Cruz in a 36-day forced strike, are now trying, once again. fracture the democratic order”, questioned Rojas.
In addition, it sued the authorities called upon by law to urgently investigate the instigators, perpetrators, and accomplices for the destruction and burning of State vehicles and assets, as well as the burning of a peasant headquarters during the protest.
Vice Minister did not resign
The Vice Minister of Water and Basic Sanitation, Carmelo Valda, appeared before the media and explained that The minister asked that everyone leave their positions available and he complied with that instruction, but he was not dismissed from his position.
“The position is available, I have met with the brother minister, I have told him that we are going to continue supporting him, and surely the brother president will define,” he said. The positions of vice ministers must be authorized by the Presidency and must have a supreme resolution.
Carmelo Valda was mentioned by the witness Claudia Cortez as one of the people linked to the illegal business of bribes in that ministry. But he denied his participation and warned that once everything is cleared up, he will start a process against Cortez for slander and defamation.
“I have nothing to do with the issue of corruption of former minister Juan Santos, as long as the Prosecutor’s Office summons me, of course I will attend, tell the truth, I will clarify everything, surely they will ask me and I am ready to assume any type of clarification, any investigation, I said it from the first time and I ratify it again, ”he said. Also, he added that he saw Claudia Cortez in the minister’s office, although he said in his statement that he did not know the person who denounced him
