A Bolivian judge on Friday issued a warrant for the arrest of former President Evo Morales after he failed to appear in court over a case alleging that he sexually abused a minor.
Morales, 65, is alleged to have had a child with a teenage girl in 2016 — a sexual relationship that would have constituted statutory rape under Bolivian law.
“There's been a warrant ordered for his search and arrest,” said Judge Nelson Rocabado after a hearing in the southern region of Tarija, where the alleged victim lives.
Morales has denied the allegations and claimed he was a “victim” to legal warfare carried out by his ally-turned-political-rival President Luis Arce, and refused to appear in court.