Judge extends former Bolivian President Luis Arce's pre-trial detention by five months

A Bolivian judge has ordered a five-month extension to the pre-trial detention of former President Luis Arce, who is currently accused of corruption during his tenure as Minister of Economy under the government of Evo Morales.

Judge Román Castro justified the extension by stating the need for the prosecution to finalize its investigation phase, which under Bolivian law, has a six-month duration. Arce, who has been held in a La Paz prison since mid-December, appeared virtually during the hearing. He pleaded for the law to be applied strictly, asserting that the legal limit for pre-trial detention had already been met and that he should not be held longer than permitted.

"I am standing here, facing this situation, and a man who faces things does not need to be behind bars to answer to Justice," Arce stated during the hearing. He is being investigated for alleged dereliction of duty and anti-economic conduct, specifically for purportedly authorizing the disbursement of development fund resources to individual leaders of indigenous and peasant organizations for projects that were either never executed or only partially completed.

Arce's defense team contends that his authorization of fund transfers complied with existing laws regarding the management of state resources and the functioning of the specific fund. They argue that he could not have opposed the execution of norms approved by Parliament at the time. The prosecution maintains that Arce's alleged actions occurred while he was minister, not president, thus falling under ordinary legal proceedings rather than a special presidential responsibility trial. Arce's defense has announced plans to appeal to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights if his domestic legal challenges continue to be denied.