Bolivian prosecutors seek arrest warrant for Evo Morales

Bolivian prosecutors on Tuesday issued an arrest warrant for former President Evo Morales as part of an investigation into accusations of rape of a minor.

Prosecutors have accused 65-year-old Morales of "trafficking" a 15-year-old girl while in office from 2006 to 2019.

Morales allegedly fathered a child with the girl in 2016 — a sexual relationship that would have constituted statutory rape under Bolivian law.

Sandra Gutierrez, an attorney with the Bolivian public prosecutor's office, said it was appropriate "to issue an arrest warrant, a situation which I did using my authority."

The warrant, which must be approved by a judge, came after Morales defied an order to testify.

Morales previously denied wrongdoing

Monday's warrant is the second one to have been issued against Morales in the same case.

In September, Gutierrez ordered Morales' arrest, but an appeal by his lawyers successfully halted the move.

Morales has not yet commented on the warrant. He has previously denied any wrongdoing.

The former president has accused his hand-picked successor, Luis Arce, of conspiring with his enemies to prevent him from running in next year's presidential election.

Morales has been holed up in the rural Chapare region, ringed by loyal supporters, since talk of his arrest first surfaced in September.

dh/rm (AP, AFP)