The Bolivian vice-governor of Santa Cruz, Mario Aguilera, denounced that, in spite of his efforts, until today the obstacles of the Departmental Legislative Assembly (ALD) prevent the temporary substitution of the imprisoned governor Luis Fernando Camacho.

«My person has carried out the necessary and sufficient administrative actions so that the president of the ALD of Santa Cruz (Zvonko Matkovic) proceeds to comply with what was ordered by the Plurinational Constitutional sentence number 1021/2023-S4(…), assured Aguilera.

The Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal (TCP) issued this verdict on December 29, 2023, however, despite the efforts made by the vice-governor, until this Thursday it was not complied with, informed the authority to the Third Constitutional Chamber of Santa Cruz.

He recalled that on January 2 he sent to the presidency of the Legislative Body of Santa Cruz the Oficio de Solicitud de Cumplimiento de Sentencia Constitucional Cite: OF DVG 001/2024 JLSG dated January 02, 2024.

It indicated that its objective is to carry out all the corresponding legislative and administrative acts in order to guarantee the full compliance of the referred Judgment.

Such verdict orders «that the president of the Departmental Legislative Assembly of Santa Cruz and the Vice Governor (Mario Aguilera) (…) promote the temporary substitution while the impediment of Luis Fernando Camacho Vaca, who is serving preventive detention in the Chonchocoro Penitentiary Center of La Paz, lasts».

In the January 11 communication, the vice-governor states that it is very clear that non-compliance with a sentence issued by the TCP is typified as a crime by the Bolivian Penal Code and establishes that those who fail to comply will be punished with imprisonment of two to six years and with a fine of one hundred to three hundred days.

Aguilera clarifies in the text that the non-compliance with the sentence «is not the result of any action or omission exercised by my person, being then feasible that his probities proceed according to the provisions of the regulations in force in our State».

Efraín Suárez, advisor of Management of the Government of Santa Cruz, considered that the Vice-governor’s report to the Third Constitutional Chamber is in line with the line he has been advocating since he learned of the sentence at the beginning of the current month.

In this regard, he insisted that the vice-governor seeks to blame Matkovic in order to remain free and that the head of the Departmental Legislative Assembly is the one imprisoned.

Matkovic, on his part, informed on Tuesday that he will inform the beginning of the steps to promote the temporary substitution, sending all the antecedents of the case to the Constitution and Government Commission of the Departmental Legislative Assembly of Santa Cruz.

He indicated that these assembly members must define if the constitutional sentence or the Departmental Law 293 is complied with.