Arturo Murillo's Return: Bolivia's Justice System Tested Amidst Political Shifts
Arturo Murillo, Bolivia's former interior minister, faces charges in Bolivia after deportation from the US. He was released from US prison in June for money laundering, but rearrested. Murillo's return occurs as Bolivia sees political shifts, and his fate rests with a politically influenced judiciary.
Arturo Murillo, Bolivia's former interior minister, was deported from Florida back to Bolivia on Wednesday night. Authorities in Bolivia have charged him with various crimes, including breach of duty and crimes against humanity, linked to a 2019 crackdown on protests that resulted in numerous deaths.
Murillo served four years in a US prison for money laundering, after being accused of accepting over half a million dollars in bribes to facilitate a lucrative contract for a tear gas sale. Following his release in June, he was detained once again and battled deportation orders until a US judge upheld the decision on July 29.
The political landscape in Bolivia is shifting. While Murillo's allies gain legal ground, his deportation and looming trials illustrate the stark tensions within Bolivia's political and judicial systems as they grapple with past and upcoming reckonings.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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