(Bloomberg) -- Bolivian prosecutors on Monday said that an an arrest warrant for former President Evo Morales had been issued in connection with a probe of sex abuse allegations involving a 15-year-old minor.
Morales has been under investigation since September and the warrant was issued when the former president failed to appear to give his testimony about the allegations.
A judge must first set a date for a hearing on the case, where the public prosecutor will make the state’s case. Then, if the judge deems it necessary would then have to sign off on the arrest warrant against Morales.
The nation of 12 million has been roiled by social unrest this year and clashes between rival factions in the ruling socialist party, which has led to disruptive highway blockades. The economy is wracked by dollar and fuel shortages after the central bank almost ran out of foreign currency reserves last year, leaving importers struggling to get hold of dollars.
The 65-year-old Morales, a former coca grower who was the nation’s president for 13 years, has previously denied any wrongdoing and alleges that the charges represent a bid by his successor, Luis Arce, to keep him out of next year’s presidential election.
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