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Court sentences former Bolivian President Arce to five months of pretrial detention

The Prosecutor General's Office requested that Luis Arce be kept in custody pending a court hearing as it believed there was a risk of escape or attempts to obstruct the investigation

BUENOS AIRES, December 13. /TASS/. A Bolivian court has sentenced former President Luis Arce to five months of pretrial detention pending a corruption investigation into which he is a defendant, El Deber newspaper reported.

The Prosecutor General's Office requested that Arce be kept in custody pending a court hearing as it believed there was a risk of escape or attempts to obstruct the investigation.

Judge Elmer Laura found Arce potentially guilty of dereliction of duty and causing economic damage to the state, according to the publication. The former head of state's defense requested that he remain free due to his cancer and the need to care for his elderly mother. The former president will be held in prison in the country's de facto capital La Paz.

Arce was detained as a suspect in a corruption case on Wednesday. He denies guilt and considers his case political.

Arce was Bolivia’s president from November 8, 2020 to November 8, 2025.

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