The Attorney General of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Wilfredo Chavez, confirmed on Friday that former Interior Minister Arturo Murillo is still detained in the U.S. This, as Bolivian authorities prepare for his extradition as part of a judicial process to leaders of Jeanine Añez de facto government.
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"It has been verified with the judicial system through the court and the federal court, the U.S. prison system has been verified where there is indeed a record that Mr. Murillo remains in that facility," the Attorney General said during a press conference on Friday.
The remarks come after a Bolivian media outlet reported that Murillo had been released and it would become "a protected witness for the U.S." The former official was arrested in May and charged over corruption and money laundering related to the 2019 coup.
According to the Attorney General, the Bolivian authorities look forward to Murillo´s hearing in the U.S. scheduled for July 9, although Chavez did not confirm if Murillo is a protected witness or "if there is a closed deal with the district attorney's office." Hence, the Bolivian authorities do not discard that the former Interior Minister "has advanced negotiations."