Arrest warrant reissued for Bolivia ex-president after court no-show
Evo Morales is declared in contempt as prosecutors allege he fathered a child with a 15-year-old girl during his time in office
A Bolivian court on Monday reissued a warrant for the arrest of former president Evo Morales on charges of trafficking a minor after he failed to show up for the start of his trial.
Bolivia’s first Indigenous president is accused of fathering a child with a 15-year-old girl while in office.
The parents of the teen are accused of consenting to the relationship in exchange for favours from Morales.
The former socialist leader, who governed from 2006 to 2019, rejects the accusations.
Morales did not attend the scheduled start of his trial on Monday in the southern city of Tarija, forcing the proceedings to be suspended.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office said Morales’s “unjustified absence” confirmed his fugitive status and reissued a warrant for his arrest.
He has been hiding from the law in his central coca-growing stronghold of Chapare since late 2024, guarded by Indigenous supporters who have promised to resist any attempt to capture him.