MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Arrest warrant issued against Evo Morales for not showing up in court

Morales submitted a doctor's note saying he had bronchopneumonia

An arrest warrant has been issued against former Bolivian President Evo Morales after the latter failed to turn up when summoned by the Judiciary citing health problems. He is under investigation for the alleged trafficking of a minor with her parents' consent. He is also believed to have fathered a child as a result of that intercourse.

According to Prosecutor Sandra Gutiérrez, Morales' legal team submitted a physician's note stating that he was suffering from bronchopneumonia and possible bradycardia. As a precautionary measure, Bolivia's first head of State of indigenous ethnicity should undergo a medical assessment, it was decided.

After his first no-show earlier this week, Morales was warned that such conduct would render him “a person in absentia,” therefore, the arrest warrant was issued after he failed to show up a second time on Friday.

According to the news service ABI, Morales' lawyer Jorge Pérez attended both hearings this week on behalf of his client and insisted that the former president was never notified. “The notice of non-appearance, the arrest warrant, and the formal indictment issued are illegal,” Pérez contended, insisting his pupil was innocent and a victim of political persecution.

Nevertheless, Judge Nelson Rocabado of the Fith Criminal Instruction and Violence against Women in Tarija declared Morales in contempt of court and ordered his arraignment.