MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Former Bolivian minister arrested for illicit enrichment

Lisperguer had been arrested on Aug. 3 on domestic violence charges

Former Bolivian Minister of Environment and Water, Alan Lisperguer, was arrested in Cochabamba and transferred to La Paz to face charges of illicit enrichment and knowingly submitting inaccurate affidavits.

“As part of the case being pursued by the Public Prosecutor's Office against former minister Alan Lisperguer, he was arrested today and is being transferred to the city of La Paz,” Prosecutor Miguel Cardozo told Erbol.

Lisperguer and former legal advisor Gabriel Delgado were reported in January by the Vice Ministry of Transparency for failing to declare assets and for receiving large deposits from third parties.

Earlier this month, Lisperguer was detained following a complaint of assault from his partner amid a public scandal in which he was involved while drunk in a shopping center in the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, but was released with alternative measures.

Despite Lisperguer's claim that his arrest is “politically motivated” and that the government of Luis Arce Catacora is behind it, Government Minister Roberto Ríos has denied any involvement. Ríos stated that the arrest was based on a warrant issued by the Public Prosecutor's Office.

”We reject the claim that the national government is behind the arrest of the former minister, comrade Alan Lisperguer. The Public Prosecutor's Office issued the arrest warrant, and the prosecutor assigned to the case traveled to the department (of Cochabamba) to execute the warrant,” said Ríos.