US court hands ex-Bolivia interior minister 6-year jail sentence

The courtroom finds Arturo Murillo responsible of conspiracy to commit cash laundering and sentences him to 70 months in jail.

Arturo Murillo
Bolivia's authorities has requested Murillo's extradition to Bolivia, the place he faces a number of legal fees [File: Aizar Raldes/AFP]

A federal courtroom in america has sentenced former Bolivian Inside Minister Arturo Murillo to just about six years behind bars for conspiracy to commit cash laundering, the US Division of Justice mentioned in a press release.

Murillo pleaded responsible in October to receiving not less than $532,000 in bribes from a Florida-based firm in trade for serving to it safe a profitable tear fuel contract with Bolivia’s defence ministry.

He had laundered the cash by the US monetary system, the division mentioned.

Murillo was sentenced to 70 months in jail by the US District Court docket for the Southern District of Florida.

One other former Bolivian official and three Individuals have been sentenced within the US final June after in addition they pleaded responsible to roles in the identical scheme, the division mentioned.

A former senator, Murillo served as inside minister between 2019 and 2020 through the interim authorities of President Jeanine Anez, who took energy following political turmoil that led to President Evo Morales resigning and leaving the nation.

Murillo fled after Morales’s get together retook energy in 2020 and was arrested in Florida in Could 2021.

Bolivia’s authorities has requested Murillo’s extradition to Bolivia, the place he faces a number of legal fees.

Bolivian Lawyer Normal Wilfredo Chavez mentioned in a information convention that Murillo’s sentencing would advance extradition proceedings and that the federal government would take authorized motion to be paid $532,000 “as a sufferer” of Murillo’s crime.

“Justice has spoken in america. We're happy with this judicial determination, and we're going to make efforts for judicial actions [of extradition],” mentioned Chavez.

Murillo’s former boss Anez is serving a 10-year jail sentence for her function in what Bolivian authorities say was a coup that compelled Morales out of workplace in 2019.

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