Evo Morales, President of Bolivia from 2006 to 2019, was accused through an anonymous complaint of statutory rape against a 15-year-old girl while still in office, according to the Bolivian Ministry of Justice.
“We have observed with indignation serious crimes that claim to remain unpunished. I am specifically talking about a girl who was raped at the age of 15 or 16. As a result of the rape, she gave birth to another daughter, whose father is Evo Morales Ayma, as identified on the birth certificate,” said César Siles, Minister of Justice and Institutional Transparency in a press conference on October 3.
The victim, who has remained anonymous, was allegedly forced by her parents to have sex with the former president in exchange for political favors, which amounts to human trafficking, according to Siles.
An investigation against the former president was first announced in 2019 for alleged statutory rape, sexual abuse and human trafficking after text and photo messages between Morales and a 19-year-old girl were discovered, as reported by country. Information about the relationship between Morales and the 15-year-old girl, however, was announced in early October 2024.
What’s next?
Juan Lanchipa, Bolivia’s Attorney General, announced on October 7 that, in light of the ongoing investigation against the former president, Morales and the victim’s parents would testify before the Prosecutor’s Commission on Thursday.
An arrest warrant was issued for the former president and the alleged victim’s parents the same evening, after the parties did not attend the Commission’s hearing, according to the Bolivian newspaper. task.
Jorge Pérez, a former Bolivian government minister and Morales’ lawyer, submitted two memoranda explaining the former president’s absence, although the prosecutor in the case assured that the failure to testify could not be justified in a criminal trial, according to task.
The father of the alleged victim, however, was arrested on October 11, as confirmed by Álvaro José Álvarez, Commander-in-Chief of the Bolivian Police.
A controversial pair
Although Morales has not directly responded to the accusations, he has denounced judicial abuse and intimidation by the government.
“Luis Arce’s government is forcing a criminal trial. By inventing accusations, bending the law and with the complicity of the murderers of justice, they intend to arrest us and end our lives”, declared the former president in X.
Incumbent Luis Arce was Morales’ Minister of Economy before he was dismissed for alleged electoral fraud in 2019. From his exile in Argentina, Morales announced Arce as his replacement in the presidential election, according to country.
Fractures emerged after Arce was sworn into office in November 2020, following the resignation of Morales and a year-long de facto government. This split the two leaders’ party, the Socialist Movement (MAS), especially after both men announced their intention to run in the 2025 presidential election, according to country.
