By Germaine Barriga, Vision 360:

Corruption

Bolivia Shaken as Current and Former Officials Across All Three Branches of Government, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and the Police Lose Their U.S. Visas

Officials from the legislative, judicial, and executive branches responded to the measure taken by the United States. They called for the resignation of those named on the list, warned that these officials must be held accountable before the justice system, and did not rule out legal action once the reasons for the visa revocations become known.

Reference image of Plaza Murillo, where the executive and legislative branches are headquartered. Photo: Ombudsman’s Office

Bolivia’s three branches of government were shaken on Thursday following the release of a list of 15 current and former officials from the executive, judicial, and legislative branches, as well as the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Bolivian Police, whose visas to enter the United States had been revoked.

Following the release of the list, calls emerged for those named to resign. Edmand Lara, president of the Legislative Assembly, announced investigations, while Acting Attorney General José Armando Urioste dismissed two prosecutors from Santa Cruz. Meanwhile, Supreme Court President Romer Saucedo called for the resignation of two judicial officials.

The national government responded through presidential spokesperson José Luis Gálvez, who, hours after the list became public, guaranteed that absolutely no one would receive protection or be shielded from accountability. He stressed that holding public office, wielding influence, or wearing a uniform would not provide immunity.

On Thursday afternoon, the U.S. Department of State released the list, which included Rafael López, a deputy representing the Libre Alliance; Rolando Pacheco, a deputy from the Popular Alliance; and Diego Barboza, who until just hours earlier had served as executive director of the Financial Investigations Unit (UIF).

Also affected were Aldo Quezada, president of the Santa Cruz Departmental Court of Justice; Oscar Ortiz, director of the General Personal Identification Service (Segip) in Santa Cruz; Julio Alba, a judge at the Santa Cruz Departmental Court of Justice; prosecutors Félix Balderas and Julio César Porras; and Freddy Pereira, the departmental police commander in Tarija.

The list also included former Attorney General Juan Lanchipa; former head of Airport Security for the Special Force to Combat Drug Trafficking (FELCN), Fernando Velasco; former Director General of Migration Katherine Calderón; former sentence enforcement judge José Ayaviri; and former La Paz prosecutor Armando Rojas.

Once the list became public, Jorge Quiroga, national leader of the Libre Alliance, demanded that López be removed from the Chamber of Deputies, arguing that the political organization had received more than three million votes. López, meanwhile, announced that he would defend his innocence, honor, and record.

For his part, Pacheco, a deputy from the Popular Alliance (AP), the party led by former Senate President Andrónico Rodríguez, insisted that his “hands are clean” and said he was willing to cooperate with any investigation.

In response, Lara called for both deputies to be referred to the Ethics Committee. He also announced that he would request information about a broader list of 40 individuals whose visas had reportedly been revoked, as it allegedly included two cabinet ministers serving under President Rodrigo Paz.

Lara stated that once all the information about those barred from entering the United States was obtained, he would not rule out initiating legal proceedings. However, he emphasized the need to determine whether those involved had links to drug trafficking or other crimes.

Speaking from Santa Cruz, Urioste announced the dismissal of prosecutors Balderas and Porras after reviewing information already available about the two officials.

“We made this decision based on certain background information available to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and we have terminated the employment of the two officials who worked for the institution,” he explained.

Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) President Romer Saucedo, meanwhile, recommended that Aldo Ismael Quezada Cerruti, president of the Santa Cruz Departmental Court of Justice, and Julio Nelson Alba Flores, a judge on that court, submit their resignations after learning that both were among the Bolivian citizens affected by the visa restrictions imposed by the United States.

Hours later, Quezada submitted his resignation as president of the Santa Cruz Departmental Court of Justice.

“I hereby inform you, honorable members of the court, of my irrevocable resignation from the position of president of the Santa Cruz Departmental Court of Justice,” stated part of the letter circulated by several media outlets.

Another official who addressed the situation was Oscar Mauricio Ortiz, who had left his position as director of Segip in Santa Cruz. He revealed that he had held the post until October 16 and expressed surprise at the decision taken by the United States against him and his family.

“I respect the laws and regulations of my country, as well as the immigration, anti-corruption, and anti-drug-trafficking policies of foreign governments, including the support that the United States provides to Bolivia,” he stated in a message expressing his willingness to cooperate with any investigation or proceeding.

At 7:30 p.m., President Rodrigo Paz’s government reiterated that it would provide absolutely no “protection” or “shielding” to anyone, according to presidential spokesperson José Luis Gálvez. He emphasized that Bolivia shares with its partners in the Shield of the Americas initiative a commitment to confronting the criminal organizations threatening their countries.

Gálvez stated that the government would act not because of external pressure but out of its own responsibility. He announced that everyone named by the U.S. government who had held a position during the current administration had already been removed from office, some weeks earlier and others just days before.

He was referring, among others, to former UIF director Diego Barboza, who was dismissed on Thursday.

The spokesperson warned that any current or former official named on the list would have to answer before the appropriate authorities if sufficient evidence emerged to justify legal proceedings. He also emphasized four principles guiding the government’s handling of the matter.

He stated that the administration would neither cover up wrongdoing, protect those responsible, nor negotiate impunity. However, he maintained that the truly serious issue for Bolivia was the possibility that criminal organizations had infiltrated the very institutions responsible for protecting society.

Amid the crisis, Lara announced that he would formally request, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that the U.S. Department of State provide the complete list of 40 individuals whose visas had reportedly been revoked, following unofficial reports suggesting that ministers in President Rodrigo Paz’s cabinet were among them.

“We want the complete lists (…). We do not want them to selectively release the names of those whose visas have been revoked. Beyond that, we want to know why their visas were revoked—whether because of corruption, links to drug trafficking, or other reasons. These matters must be investigated,” he declared.