The Bolivian justice system has declared former President Evo Morales in contempt of court after he failed to appear on Monday before the Departmental Tribunal of Tarija, where the legal proceedings against him are taking place. The charges relate to a case of human trafficking, stemming from an alleged relationship with a teenage girl during his presidential term.
Morales' defense team had previously announced that the former Bolivian president would not attend the oral trial that began on Monday in the city of Tarija, in the south of the country. They stated that he would accept the legal consequences of his decision and would appeal to international bodies.
The prosecution alleges that Morales had a relationship with a 16-year-old girl in 2015, with whom he had a daughter during his presidency, which lasted from 2006 to 2019. He was forced to leave the country due to pressure from the opposition and a portion of the armed forces, who did not recognize his electoral victory.
Despite the fact that Morales' defense team announced that he would not appear on Monday, a strong police presence was deployed around the courthouse, where the mother of the alleged victim, Idelsa Pozo Saavedra, is also being tried, according to local media.
Morales, who is currently confined to the coca-growing region of Chapare, in the heart of Cochabamba, and is heavily guarded by his supporters, has not attended any of the summonses issued by the authorities, whom he has been accusing since the time of the former…
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Mundo: Morales' defense had previously announced in the past few hours that the former Bolivian president would not attend the oral trial that began this Monday in the city of Tarija. Morales, who is currently confined in the coca-growing region of Chapare, heavily guarded by his supporters, has not attended any of the summons issued by the authorities. Comments: The Bolivian justice system has declared former President Evo Morales in contempt of court after he failed to appear this Monday before the Departmental Tribunal of Tarija, where the judicial process against him is taking place for the crime of human trafficking, related to a relationship with a teenager during his presidential term. Morales' defense had previously announced in the past few hours that the former Bolivian president would not attend the oral trial that began this Monday in the city of Tarija, in the south of the country, and that he would assume the legal consequences of his decision, while also appealing to international bodies. The prosecution alleges that Morales had a relationship with a 16-year-old girl in 2015, with whom he had a daughter during his presidential term, which lasted from 2006 to 2019, when he left the country, pressured by the opposition and part of the armed forces, who did not recognize his electoral victory. Despite the fact that Morales' defense anticipated that he would not appear this Monday, a strong police presence has been deployed around the courthouse, where the mother of the alleged victim, Idelsa Pozo Saavedra, is also being tried, according to local press reports. Morales, who is confined in the coca-growing region of Chapare, in the heart of the Cochabamba tropics, heavily guarded by his supporters, has not attended any of the summons issued by the authorities, whom he has accused, since the time of former President Luis Arce, of fabricating a case against him. The strong support that Morales enjoys in that part of the country has so far prevented the authorities from carrying out any operation to arrest him, for fear of causing serious disturbances. The new government of Rodrigo Paz has stated that the intention is to arrest him, but there have been no developments in that regard yet. More on: Bolivia, Evo Morales, human trafficking, Tarija, Luis Arce, Chapare, Mundo.