The Plurinational Legislative Assembly (ALP) of Bolivia has given the green light this Friday to a resolution that grants the Chamber the authority to directly remove the Attorney General of the State when he is charged with a serious crime, as is the case with the current official, Roger Mariaca. The measure also enables legislative authorities to appoint an interim Attorney General to assume the position during possible absences.
"We are going to implement (the measure) so that a person can take charge temporarily for three months, to be in charge of the Prosecutor's Office. The same person (involved in a crime) or one of their team cannot remain (...) because they have been part of the team of the prosecutor (Roger Mariaca), so there would not be a guarantee of transparency," referred to the president of the ALP, Diego Ávila, in the plenary session.
The senator detailed that the reform of Law number 260 of the Public Ministry aims to guarantee greater transparency in the investigations that take place when the Attorney General appears linked to a serious crime, as is the case with Mariaca, who is being investigated for drug trafficking.
"So we are going to place a person (interim), who has nothing to do with the environment of the prosecutor who left (...) in the three months they have to fulfill the task assigned to them by the Assembly, not the Executive," he stated.
The resolution, supported by a two-thirds majority, is known after the current interim Attorney General, Luis Montaño, registered this same Friday the declaration with which he provisionally assumed the office of Attorney General, relying on the Law of the Public Ministry and on his status as one of the longest-serving prosecutors.
Hours later, the Government of Bolivia announced that the Police would proceed to arrest Montaño for alleged usurpation of functions and for attempting to obstruct the investigation into the authorities involved in the Marset case, in which Mariaca is also involved.
The Executive accused the interim prosecutor of trying to obstruct the investigations into the detainees, pointing out that he is situated "in drug terrorism and the criminal structure" and warning that, for that reason, "he will receive a firm and direct response from the Government."