MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Former Chilean guerrilla set free by Bolivian authorities

Muñoz Hoffman was convicted in Chile for the murder of Senator Jaime Guzmán, among other crimes

Former Chilean guerrilla Pablo Muñoz Hoffman of the Manuel Rodriguez Patriotic Front (FPMR), who was captured in Bolivia on Monday after 29 years at large, was set free on Tuesday instead of being extradited to his country as previously announced. He had escaped from prison in 1996 in a movie-style flight after which he vanished into thin air until this week.

Muñoz Hoffman was arrested in the vicinity of the Chilean Consulate in La Paz, where he is now said to have intended to seek travel documents to return to Santiago due to family issues. After his detention, he admitted to having entered Bolivia illegally.

Earlier Tuesday, Chilean Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren said the administration of President Gabriel Boric Font was interested in Muñoz Hoffman serving out the remainder of his sentence. However, he was released instead of being extradited, despite the Interpol red alert on his head. The reasons for such a move have not been divulged.

Sources close to Muñoz Hoffman's legal team in Chile were quoted as saying that their client was free to return to his country a “free man” at any time given the statute of limitations. In 2022, one of his lawyers filed an injunction to have his photograph removed from the Chilean Investigative Police (PDI) website, where he was portrayed as one of the most wanted fugitives.

“Chile does not have any jurisdiction in Bolivia and neither does the Chilean government give instructions to the courts on how to develop its power and that is an autonomous power of the State,” Interior Minister Carolina Tohá argued. “What I can say is that from Chile, the court in charge of this case has a red alert in force,” she added.

In Tohá's view, once Chilean authorities complete the necessary paperwork, Muñoz Hoffman would need to be arrested again in Bolivia to start the extradition procedures. Another possibility is that Muñoz Hoffman does return to Chile of his own volition, in which case he should also be arrested, Tohá pointed out.