Torrico, vice minister during the Evo Morales administration, was arrested on February 6 by the Special Force to Combat Crime, an act considered by his lawyers as a result of an illegal and politicized process.
Among the elements wielded by the defense, is that one of his lawyers has a pending case with the judge appointed to conduct the hearing, due to the absence of evidence related to the aforementioned crimes.
One of the legal representatives of the former official, Gustavo Vera, regretted after the suspension of the hearing this Saturday, to proceed with the Public Ministry in relation to his representative when trying to put together a case he described as arbitrary, plagued by anomalies and exaggerated.
“There are many irregularities. An arrest warrant has been issued without requirements being met, ”said the lawyer.
According to Torrico’s defense, the only thing the Prosecutor’s Office has against him is a press clipping where fragments of statements made to a television program appear.
The arrest of the MAS supporter set off alarms in relation to repeated allegations of political persecution of leaders and followers of that political force, a situation condemned even by the United Nations (UN).
Following the arrest of Torrico, UN Special Rapporteur Diego García-Sayán made public his concern about the use of judicial and fiscal institutions for the purpose of political persecution.
The representative of the international organization warned about the growing number of illegal detentions in the Andean country and called for respect to the independence of the institutions and due process by the government of self-proclaimed President Jeanine Áñez.
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