Government of Bolivia denounces Evo Morales for alleged relationship with a minor

The former president of Bolivia Evo Morales. (Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP) (Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP via Getty Images)

(CNN Spanish) - The Bolivian Government filed a complaint against former President Evo Morales on Thursday for the alleged crimes of "rape and trafficking and human smuggling."

The complaint that the Ministry of Justice filed against Morales in the La Paz prosecutor's office is supported, according to the Deputy Minister of Transparency, Guido Melgar, in police information about Morales's alleged romantic relationship with a young woman who is currently 19 years old. The Office of the Prosecutor must decide within 48 hours on the presentation.

That relationship, according to Melgar, would have started five years earlier, when the young woman was 14 years old. Melgar assured that previous eVista (opens in a new tab) there is probative information on the relationship between Morales and the minor.

CNN has tried to contact Morales' team to ask their reaction to the lawsuit, but so far it has not been possible.

The case was revealed, according to Melgar, after the arrest of two people from whom a cell phone was seized that, after an expert report, allowed "to identify photographs, audios, WhatsApp messages between this young lady and Juan Evo Morales Ayma." The phone was seized from "two people who were at a pump with a vehicle that was reported stolen and that was public property," Melgar said.

The official said that "according to the information that has reached us," the young woman "went everywhere together with Mr. Juan Evo Morales Ayma when he was serving as President of the Bolivian State."

“We have had access to documentation and, due to responsibility, and by virtue of the protection of women, children and adolescents in this country, the decision has been made to file the complaint, I repeat, against Juan Evo Morales Ayma for the crimes of rape and trafficking and trafficking, "said Deputy Minister Melgar.

Once the complaint is filed, the case remains in the hands of the prosecution, said Melgar, who pointed out that the Ministry of Justice will be "faithful observers and coadjuvants of this process, so that this issue is clarified and if all the information is true, that is documented in videos, audios and messages, we are going to request that the maximum penalty be imposed on Mr. Evo Morales Ayma ”.

Melgar assured that in the Morales videos «he went to various parts, to various places in the country to play fúlbito and it is seen that this young lady accompanied him on all his trips and the curious thing is that she, at that time, was a minor, and as we all know, for a minor to travel, the permission of their parents was needed ».

Melgar added that "this is another issue that will also be investigated in this process, that is, what is the role played by the parents of this young lady to allow former President Morales to take her on his trips."

Evo Morales