Bolivia detains attorney general after U.S. visa ban, sparking constitutional crisis

Early last week the U.S. State Department announced visa restrictions on dozens of Latin American officials, naming Bolivia’s Attorney General Roger Mariaca as a target for alleged corruption. Within 24 hours, police detained Mariaca at Viru Viru International Airport in Santa Cruz, conducting warrant-less raids on prosecutor offices in Sucre and Santa Cruz with intelligence supplied by the DEA. The arrest occurred as Mariaca was probing the activities of Argentine operative Fernando Cerimedo, a close ally of President Rodrigo Paz.

In response, the Plurinational Legislative Assembly passed Law 1773, altering the Organic Law of the Public Ministry to permit a two-thirds vote to suspend an attorney general facing serious charges, and installed José Armando Urioste Viera as interim head. Vice President Edmand Lara warned the action violated constitutional presumption of innocence, while U.S. officials praised the “bold and decisive” crackdown on narco-terrorism. The episode deepens Bolivia’s ongoing state of exception and raises concerns over foreign influence in its judiciary.