Bolivia’s ex-interior minister apprehended in ongoing judicial sweep

Bolivia’s former interior minister, Arturo Murillo, was arrested this week at the airport after being deported from the United States to face multiple charges, including crimes against humanity for ordering a deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters in 2019.

Murillo’s return comes just months after his release from a US prison in June, where he served four years for money laundering tied to a bribery scheme. According to ABC reporting, prosecutors accuse him of having accepted $532,000 in bribes to help a Florida company secure a lucrative contract to supply tear gas to Bolivia.

Deported from Miami on September 3, Murillo arrived in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, under US escort and was handed over to local authorities. He was quickly flown to the city of La Paz, which seats the government, where prosecutors plan to transfer him to the maximum-security Chonchocoro prison.

Murillo has already been tried and sentenced in absentia in two cases and still faces charges of homicide, crimes against humanity, abuse of authority, aggravated theft, influence-peddling, and overpricing tear gas for use against protesters.

As the article reports, the high-profile prosecution will test Bolivia’s judicial independence amid sharp political polarization. Last month, the Supreme Court ordered a review of detention orders against opposition leaders after elections ended the long dominance of the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party.

Murillo, 61, served as interior minister under then-interim President Jeanine Áñez, who assumed power in November 2019 after former president and MAS founder Evo Morales resigned under military pressure following contested elections.

The case comes as judges annulled charges against Áñez last week and granted her allies house arrest, highlighting ongoing divisions over accountability and political influence in Bolivia’s courts.

By Nazrin Sadigova