A Bolivian judge determined this Monday to extend for three more months the preventive detention against former interim president Jeanine Áñez and two of her former ministers, who face several processes due to the 2019 crisis.
The former transitory president has been preventively detained since March 2021 in a prison in La Paz accused of the alleged crimes of terrorism, sedition and conspiracy, for a complaint filed by the former deputy of the ruling Movement for Socialism (MAS) Lidia Patty.
"After 429 days of illegal deprivation of liberty, today Judge Armando Zeballos extends the preventive detention of #JeanineAñez for 3 months at the request of the Prosecutor’s Office and the Government, for non-existent crimes of terrorism and sedition, expelled by @TCPBolivia #BoliviaSinDDHH"Áñez wrote on her social networks, which are managed by her family.
Áñez alluded to the decision of the Constitutional Court to eliminate the crime of sedition from the Bolivian legal system, communicated last March.
For his part, Jorge Nina, former senator Patty’s lawyer, said that the judge extended the preventive detention "taking into account that there are pending investigative acts such as the testimony of witnesses and others that cannot be disclosed so as not to harm the investigation"according to the state Bolivian Information Agency (ABI).
This same Monday, Áñez’s defense had requested an injunction hearing, which was denied.
The trial against Áñez for the so-called case "coup d’état II"which began in April, is suspended until the Constitutional Court (TC) rules on an action of unconstitutionality of the defense against two articles of a rule that frames two of the alleged crimes for which he is accused in that process.
The trial, for the crimes of breach of duties and resolutions contrary to the Constitution for actions committed in 2019, is in the final stage to pass sentence.
In this case, the Prosecutor’s Office requests "the maximum penalty" against the former interim head of state.
Áñez was arrested in principle for the crimes of terrorism, sedition and conspiracy in the case "coup d’état I" and later the process was opened "coup d’etat II".
For the Government and the MAS, Áñez illegally assumed the Presidency of the country after the massive resignation of then President Evo Morales, his vice president and the heads of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies.
The ruling party maintains that Áñez had to call a parliamentary meeting for the restitution of directives in both Chambers and that the ownership of the Senate belonged to the MAS, as the majority force, so his arrival at the Presidency was "de facto".
Áñez’s defense maintains that at the end of 2019 there was a power vacuum due to the resignation of the entire line of succession and that his arrival at the Presidency adhered to the procedures of the Constitution.
Along with Áñez, his former ministers Álvaro Coímbra and Rodrigo Guzmán, among other former military and police chiefs, are detained.