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Luis Fernando López

April 28, 2023

This article is about the Bolivian politician. For other uses, see Luis Fernando López (disambiguation).
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is López and the second or maternal family name is Julio.

Luis Fernando López Julio (born 15 October 1964) is a Bolivian businessman, retired military officer, and politician who served as minister of defense from 2019 to 2020. Appointed in the tail end of the 2019 political crisis, López, along with Minister of Government Arturo Murillo, quickly became characterized as the "strong men" of the Jeanine Áñez administration and were implicated in the deadly events at Senkata and Sacaba. López was called to hearings by the Plurinational Legislative Assembly but failed to present himself three consecutive times, ultimately resulting in his censure by the legislature. As per the terms of the Constitution, he was dismissed as minister but, exploiting a loophole in the document's text, he was reappointed just a day later. Soon after, reports revealed his participation in the tear gas case, which accused the ministries of government and defense of irregularly purchasing non-lethal weapons at inflated prices.

Luis Fernando López
Minister of Defense
In office
10 March 2020 – 5 November 2020[a]
PresidentJeanine Áñez
Preceded byGastón Peñaloza (acting)
Succeeded byEdmundo Novillo
In office
13 November 2019 – 9 March 2020
PresidentJeanine Áñez
Preceded byJavier Zavaleta
Succeeded byGastón Peñaloza (acting)
Personal details
Born
Luis Fernando López Julio

(1964-10-15) 15 October 1964 (age 58)
La Paz, Bolivia
SpouseKatya Fuertes Gutiérrez
Parent
  • Luis López Bacigalupo (father)
EducationNational Military College
San Pablo Bolivian Catholic University
Military service
Allegiance Bolivia
Branch/service Bolivian Army
Years of service1985–1990
RankSecond lieutenant
Unit"Calama" Armored Cavalry Regiment

After the 2020 general election, López entered contact with American ex-army soldiers, seeking to facilitate the transport of mercenaries and paramilitaries to Bolivia in order to launch a preemptive coup d'état that would prevent President-elect Luis Arce from coming to office. After that endeavor proved unfruitful, he, along with Murillo, fled the country just three days prior to Arce's inauguration. He remains in hiding in Brazil as the Bolivian government seeks his extradition for crimes of breach of duties, among others.

Early life and career

Luis Fernando López was born on 15 October 1964 in La Paz to Luis López Bacigalupo, a division general. On his mother's side, his grandfather was Rubén Julio Castro, who served as senator for Pando in the 1950s.[2] Following his father's example, López underwent military training abroad, graduating from the National Military College of Argentina in 1985 as a second lieutenant of arms and cavalry and a military paratrooper.[3] The following year, he joined the Special Troops Instruction Center in Cochabamba, where he taught a parachuting course as a sub-instructor.[4] Also in 1986, he served as an officer and instructor at the School of Bolivian Condors in Sanandita, doing so until 1989. Shortly thereafter, in 1990, he was assigned to the "Calama" Regiment in Patacamaya, after which he retired from the Armed Forces.[3]

In addition to his military service, López has a degree in social communication from the San Pablo Catholic University. He worked as the manager for Bolivia of Lowe's and McCann-Erickson and served as a consultant for BMW, Cinemark Theatres, the Coca-Cola Company, Copa Airlines, and Huawei. Until 2019, he was the executive president of Lola Group SRL, a marketing agency.[3] During this time, López became closely acquainted with the Santa Cruz lawyer and civic activist Luis Fernando Camacho, for whom he eventually came to handle communication.[5] In the midst of the protests and demonstrations that followed the disputed 2019 general elections, López revealed that Camacho had commissioned him, as a former army officer, to "converse" with the Armed Forces in order to avoid the repression of demonstrators. The culmination of this social unrest was the resignation of President Evo Morales along with his entire government. During the ensuing political crisis, López noted that Camacho, in discussions with Morales' likely successor Jeanine Áñez, had proposed him as a candidate to assume the defense portfolio.[6]

Minister of Defense

After legitimizing her succession to the presidency on 12 November, Áñez set about forming a transitional administration. On 13 November, she appointed her ministerial cabinet, designating López as minister of defense.[7][8]

Legislative investigation

Following the events of Senkata and Sacaba, several legislators from the Movement for Socialism announced their intent to file a request for interpellation in the Legislative Assembly for López and Minister of Government Arturo Murillo, in order to receive an oral report on the incidents which led to several deaths. In late December, President of the Senate Eva Copa announced that the interpellation would be held after the recess of the assembly with President of the Chamber of Deputies Sergio Choque announcing on 3 January 2020 that the meetings had been scheduled for the 11th and 12th of that month.[9][10] In response, on 10 January, both López and Murillo presented justifications for why they could not attend the session, which were accepted by the legislature who rescheduled it for the 17th.[11][12] However, neither of the two presented themselves on that date, issuing further justifications for their absence. In view of this, the Chamber of Deputies approved on 19 February a formal request demanding that President Áñez "instruct the Ministers of State to comply with their constitutional duties".[13]

Censure, dismissal, and reinstatement

In the session scheduled for 6 March, López was absent for the third consecutive time, alleging work reasons.[14] This time, the Plurinational Assembly refused to accept his presented excuse and, with a two-thirds vote, moved to censure him, the first time any government minister had been censured since the passage of the 2009 Constitution. As per Copa, according to Article 158 of the Constitution, such a vote entailed the removal of the targeted official.[15] In response, Áñez defended López, stating that he "has done a great job in the face of natural disasters and for the pacification of the homeland".[16] Nonetheless, on 9 March, Áñez issued Presidential Decree N° 4175 which annulled López's appointment and designated Vice Minister Gastón Ramiro Peñaloza as the acting minister of defense.[14][17][18] The next day, however, she reversed her decision and reappointed López to his position.[19][20] According to Senator Óscar Ortiz Antelo, "the Constitution does not prohibit the [censured] minister from returning".[21] In this context, the move to oust López only to immediately reappoint him was a way of respecting the Constitution while at the same time circumventing its provisions. In August, the assembly passed a law that closed this loophole by requiring the dismissal of censured ministers within 24 hours and barred them from serving in government positions for 3 years.[22]

Tear gas case

López was implicated in another scandal when on 31 May 2020, the journalist Junior Arias brought to light accusations of irregular purchases of tear gas at highly inflated prices during the social conflicts of late 2019. According to the documents he presented, the Ministry of Government had requested the purchase of chemical agents from the Brazilian company Condor Tecnologias Não-Letais with the Miami-based company Bravo Tactical Solutions LLC as an intermediary.[23] Though the case mostly shone the spotlight on Murillo, a complaint was also lodged against López who had signed the contract on 19 December, for an amount of $5.6 million.[24] At that price, each tear gas cartridge would've cost between Bs250 and Bs270 ($36.25 to $39.15), more than double what other countries such as Venezuela had previously paid.[23] López denied the allegations, claiming that the reason for the price difference was that the government had bought cartridges with 430gm of gunpowder, whereas the government in Caracas had purchased 225gm cartridges. However, no mention of weight ever appeared in the signed agreement.[25]

Flight from the country

Nearing the end of Áñez's transitional government, the Prosecutor's Office accused Murillo and López of crimes of improper use of influence, negotiations incompatible with the exercise of public functions by individuals, contracts harmful to the State, and breach of duties. On 5 November 2020, three days before the end of Áñez's mandate and the inauguration of president-elect Luis Arce, the anti-corruption prosecutor Luis Fernando Atanacio Fuentes issued a formal request for an immigration alert against the pair in order to avoid their preemptive departure from the country.[26] That day, neither Murillo nor López were present for Áñez's final presidential address, which was attended by the rest of her ministers. While the entirety of the cabinet presented its resignation on 6 November, outgoing Minister of Economy Branko Marinković later revealed that the two had presented their resignations "days before".[1]

The whereabouts of Murillo and López remained unclear for some days leading the Prosecutor's Office to request a report from the General Directorate of Migration on whether either of the former ministers had fled the country.[27][28] On 16 November, it issued an arrest warrant against both of them on the grounds that "there are indications that the accused may hide, flee, or leave the country".[29] The following day, Police Commander Colonel Johnny Aguilera reported that Murillo and López departed on a FAB-046 from El Trompillo Airport on 5 November, arriving in Santa Cruz, from where they crossed the border through Puerto Suárez and into Brazil. After that, they would've travelled on foot, through areas without immigration control, until they arrived at Corumbá. According to Colonel Pablo García, director of Interpol-Bolivia, López "used his last two days as an authority [to gain a] last favor" from members of the military, who secured the plane for his escape.[30] While Murillo left for Panama on 9 November, López remained in Brazil.[31]

As a result of these events, the former head of the General Directorate of Migration, Marcel Rivas, was apprehended on 19 November, with the Prosecutor's Office accusing him of having helped facilitate the flight of the ex-ministers.[32] Three more officials, subordinates of the general directorate in offices in Puerto Quijarro and Puerto Suárez, were subsequently arrested on 21 November.[33]

On 6 January 2021, the Prosecutor's Office announced its intent to indict Murillo and López on charges of breach of duties, improper use of influence, among other crimes relating to the tear gas case, in order to facilitate the activation of a Red Notice from Interpol[34] The indictment was formalized two days later.[35] Despite initial reports that both Murillo and López were in the United States, Minister of Government Eduardo del Castillo indicated on 27 May that López was still in Brazil and announced that the government would request his extradition from the country.[36] On 14 July, Interpol-Brazil confirmed that López remains in the country.[37]

Coup d'état plot

On 17 June 2021, journalists from The Intercept broke the story that in the few weeks after Luis Arce's victory in the 2020 general election López had attempted to facilitate a coup d'état to prevent his assumption to office. Leaked phone recordings and emails revealed that López had been in contact with Joe Pereira, a former civilian administrator with the U.S. Army. In the audio logs, López indicated that "military high command is already in preliminary talks" and promised that "the commander of the armed forces [Sergio Orellana] is working on all of this" and that "we have a united armed forces". López continued by stating that he was "focused on avoiding the annihilation of my country".[38] Among the concerns within the armed forces were fears that the Movement for Socialism intended to replace them with civilian militias along Venezuelan lines. During his ministerial administration, López had echoed such concerns, stating in January 2020 that "[Evo Morales] indicates that there is a serious intention to eliminate the Armed Forces and the Police so that there is a foreign militia in our country".[39] Bolivian political scientist Eduardo Gamarra also suggested that the armed forces "were rightly concerned there was going to be a major purge. The MAS was going to be furious".[38]

In different call logs, Pereira assured that he could "get up to 10,000 men with no problem", outlining a plan to pick up personnel in Homestead Air Reserve Base in Miami using Bolivian-owned C-130s, of which the Ministry of Defense had one. The mercenaries would be placed under shell contracts to disguise the purpose of their presence. Pereira's claims were later characterized as exaggerated with his assurance of 10,000 men being called "absurd". The coup plot ultimately never came to fruition, largely due to disagreements between López and Murillo, whose capacity as minister of government gave him singular control of police.[38]

References

Notes

  1. ^ The entire Áñez cabinet resigned on 6 November 2020. Former officials have asserted that López had already left his duties "days before", though it is unclear when exactly his resignation was issued and accepted. López fled the country on 5 November.[1]

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b "Branko: Murillo y López renunciaron 'días antes' que otros ministros". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. 7 November 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Ministro boliviano acepta diálogo con ejército para salida de Morales". 24 Horas (in Spanish). Mexico City. 30 December 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Fernando López Julio se hace cargo del Ministerio de Defensa". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  4. ^ Cadena, Patricia (15 November 2019). "¿Quién es Fernando López, el nuevo ministro de Defensa?". eju! (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  5. ^ "Áñez arma su primer gabinete con gente de Unidad Demócrata y cercanos a Camacho". El Deber (in Spanish). Santa Cruz de la Sierra. 14 November 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  6. ^ "Ministro de Defensa admite que 'conversó' con las FFAA antes de la renuncia de Evo". Correo del Sur (in Spanish). Sucre. 29 December 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  7. ^ "Decreto Presidencial N° 4077". Gaceta Oficial del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ "La presidenta interina Áñez nombra un gabinete de urgencia y apunta que Morales no podrá presentarse a las elecciones". El Mundo. Madrid. 14 November 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  9. ^ Pereyra, Omar (30 December 2019). "Copa: después del receso de la Asamblea se interpelará a ministros por Senkata y Cochabamba". eju! (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  10. ^ "Choque: Se interpelará a Murillo y López por las muertes de Senkata y Cochabamba". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. 3 January 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  11. ^ "Murillo y López presentaron justificativos y su interpelación se postergará". Erbol (in Spanish). 10 January 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  12. ^ Guarachi, Ángel (11 January 2020). "El Legislativo reprograma para el 17 la interpelación a Murillo y López". La Razón (in Spanish). La Paz. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  13. ^ Corz, Carlos (19 February 2020). "Diputados piden a Áñez instruir a ministros ir a interpelación por casos como muertes en Sacaba y Senkata". La Razón (in Spanish). La Paz. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  14. ^ a b Parisi, Kiarinna (10 March 2020). "Jeanine Áñez deja sin efecto la designación del ministro de Defensa boliviano Fernando López". CN͠N (in Spanish). Atlanta. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  15. ^ "Asamblea Legislativa censura al Ministro de Defensa". Correo del Sur (in Spanish). Sucre. 6 March 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  16. ^ Flores, Paola (7 March 2020). "Bolivia: Gobierno rechaza censura a ministro de Defensa". Associated Press (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  17. ^ "Decreto Presidencial N°4175". Gaceta Oficial del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia (in Spanish). 9 March 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ Written at La Paz. "Un general asume temporalmente el ministerio de Defensa en Bolivia". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Barcelona. 10 March 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  19. ^ "Decreto Presidencial N° 4177". Gaceta Oficial del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia (in Spanish). 10 March 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ Written at La Paz. "Un ministro boliviano vuelve a su puesto al día siguiente de ser destituido". EFE (in Spanish). Madrid. 10 March 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  21. ^ Written at La Paz. "Presidenta de Bolivia restituye a ministro cesado un día antes". France 24 (in Spanish). Paris. Agence France-Presse. 10 March 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  22. ^ Gómez, Miguel (12 August 2020). "Diputados sancionan ley para que ministros censurados no ocupen cargos por tres años". La Razón (in Spanish). La Paz. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  23. ^ a b "Gases lacrimógenos: Otra denuncia de corrupción que incomoda al Gobierno". Correo del Sur (in Spanish). Sucre. 2 June 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  24. ^ "Cronología del caso 'gases lacrimógenos': el negocio millonario que puso a Arturo Murillo tras las rejas". boliviaverifica.bo (in Spanish). 29 May 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  25. ^ Peñaranda U., Raúl (5 June 2020). "Empresa Cóndor también ofreció gases a Ecuador en $us 12; Bolivia pagó 37". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  26. ^ "Fiscalía pidió el arraigo de López y Murillo por caso gases lacrimógenos". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. 5 November 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  27. ^ "¿Arturo Murillo y Fernando López salieron del país?". Correo del Sur (in Spanish). Sucre. 9 November 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  28. ^ "Fiscalía pide informes a Migración sobre el paradero de los exministros Murillo y López". Agencia de Noticias Fides (in Spanish). La Paz. 11 November 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  29. ^ Cuiza, Paulo (16 November 2020). "Fiscalía emite órdenes de aprehensión contra los exministros Murillo y López por caso 'gases lacrimógenos'". La Razón (in Spanish). La Paz. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  30. ^ Gómez, Miguel (18 November 2020). "Interpol-Bolivia supo de un 'último favor' a López y Murillo para su fuga del país". La Razón (in Spanish). La Paz. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  31. ^ "Aguilera reporta que Murillo está en Panamá y López en Brasil". Los Tiempos (in Spanish). Cochabamba. 17 November 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  32. ^ "Aprehenden al exdirector de Migración por las salidas de Murillo y López". Página Siete (in Spanish). La Paz. 19 November 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  33. ^ Arancibia Guillen, Guider (21 November 2020). "Detienen a tres funcionarios de Migración de Puerto Suárez por salida de ex ministros". El Deber (in Spanish). Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  34. ^ "Prevén imputar a Murillo y López por caso gases; citan a Camacho por presunto 'golpe'". Opinión (in Spanish). Cochabamba. 6 January 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  35. ^ "Formalizan imputación contra Murillo y López para activar el sello rojo de Interpol". Opinión (in Spanish). Cochabamba. 8 January 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  36. ^ "Gobierno de Bolivia dice que el exministro Luis Fernando López está en Brasil y pedirá su extradición". Europa Press (in Spanish). Madrid. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  37. ^ "La Policía revela que Interpol confirmó que Fernando López se encuentra en Brasil". Opinión (in Spanish). Cochabamba. 14 July 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  38. ^ a b c Grim, Ryan; Blair, Laurence (17 June 2021). "Bolivian ex-minister of defense plotted a second coup using U.S. mercenaries". The Intercept. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  39. ^ "El Gobierno de Bolivia cree que Evo Morales pretendía "desmantelar las Fuerzas Armadas y la Policía"". Notimérica (in Spanish). 13 January 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2021.

External links

  • (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 30 April 2020.

April 28, 2023
luis, fernando, lópez, this, article, about, bolivian, politician, other, uses, disambiguation, this, spanish, name, first, paternal, surname, lópez, second, maternal, family, name, julio, julio, born, october, 1964, bolivian, businessman, retired, military, o. This article is about the Bolivian politician For other uses see Luis Fernando Lopez disambiguation In this Spanish name the first or paternal surname is Lopez and the second or maternal family name is Julio Luis Fernando Lopez Julio born 15 October 1964 is a Bolivian businessman retired military officer and politician who served as minister of defense from 2019 to 2020 Appointed in the tail end of the 2019 political crisis Lopez along with Minister of Government Arturo Murillo quickly became characterized as the strong men of the Jeanine Anez administration and were implicated in the deadly events at Senkata and Sacaba Lopez was called to hearings by the Plurinational Legislative Assembly but failed to present himself three consecutive times ultimately resulting in his censure by the legislature As per the terms of the Constitution he was dismissed as minister but exploiting a loophole in the document s text he was reappointed just a day later Soon after reports revealed his participation in the tear gas case which accused the ministries of government and defense of irregularly purchasing non lethal weapons at inflated prices Luis Fernando LopezMinister of DefenseIn office 10 March 2020 5 November 2020 a PresidentJeanine AnezPreceded byGaston Penaloza acting Succeeded byEdmundo NovilloIn office 13 November 2019 9 March 2020PresidentJeanine AnezPreceded byJavier ZavaletaSucceeded byGaston Penaloza acting Personal detailsBornLuis Fernando Lopez Julio 1964 10 15 15 October 1964 age 58 La Paz BoliviaSpouseKatya Fuertes GutierrezParentLuis Lopez Bacigalupo father EducationNational Military CollegeSan Pablo Bolivian Catholic UniversityMilitary serviceAllegianceBoliviaBranch serviceBolivian ArmyYears of service1985 1990RankSecond lieutenantUnit Calama Armored Cavalry RegimentAfter the 2020 general election Lopez entered contact with American ex army soldiers seeking to facilitate the transport of mercenaries and paramilitaries to Bolivia in order to launch a preemptive coup d etat that would prevent President elect Luis Arce from coming to office After that endeavor proved unfruitful he along with Murillo fled the country just three days prior to Arce s inauguration He remains in hiding in Brazil as the Bolivian government seeks his extradition for crimes of breach of duties among others Contents 1 Early life and career 2 Minister of Defense 2 1 Legislative investigation 2 2 Censure dismissal and reinstatement 2 3 Tear gas case 3 Flight from the country 3 1 Coup d etat plot 4 References 4 1 Notes 4 2 Footnotes 5 External linksEarly life and career EditLuis Fernando Lopez was born on 15 October 1964 in La Paz to Luis Lopez Bacigalupo a division general On his mother s side his grandfather was Ruben Julio Castro who served as senator for Pando in the 1950s 2 Following his father s example Lopez underwent military training abroad graduating from the National Military College of Argentina in 1985 as a second lieutenant of arms and cavalry and a military paratrooper 3 The following year he joined the Special Troops Instruction Center in Cochabamba where he taught a parachuting course as a sub instructor 4 Also in 1986 he served as an officer and instructor at the School of Bolivian Condors in Sanandita doing so until 1989 Shortly thereafter in 1990 he was assigned to the Calama Regiment in Patacamaya after which he retired from the Armed Forces 3 In addition to his military service Lopez has a degree in social communication from the San Pablo Catholic University He worked as the manager for Bolivia of Lowe s and McCann Erickson and served as a consultant for BMW Cinemark Theatres the Coca Cola Company Copa Airlines and Huawei Until 2019 he was the executive president of Lola Group SRL a marketing agency 3 During this time Lopez became closely acquainted with the Santa Cruz lawyer and civic activist Luis Fernando Camacho for whom he eventually came to handle communication 5 In the midst of the protests and demonstrations that followed the disputed 2019 general elections Lopez revealed that Camacho had commissioned him as a former army officer to converse with the Armed Forces in order to avoid the repression of demonstrators The culmination of this social unrest was the resignation of President Evo Morales along with his entire government During the ensuing political crisis Lopez noted that Camacho in discussions with Morales likely successor Jeanine Anez had proposed him as a candidate to assume the defense portfolio 6 Minister of Defense EditAfter legitimizing her succession to the presidency on 12 November Anez set about forming a transitional administration On 13 November she appointed her ministerial cabinet designating Lopez as minister of defense 7 8 Legislative investigation Edit Following the events of Senkata and Sacaba several legislators from the Movement for Socialism announced their intent to file a request for interpellation in the Legislative Assembly for Lopez and Minister of Government Arturo Murillo in order to receive an oral report on the incidents which led to several deaths In late December President of the Senate Eva Copa announced that the interpellation would be held after the recess of the assembly with President of the Chamber of Deputies Sergio Choque announcing on 3 January 2020 that the meetings had been scheduled for the 11th and 12th of that month 9 10 In response on 10 January both Lopez and Murillo presented justifications for why they could not attend the session which were accepted by the legislature who rescheduled it for the 17th 11 12 However neither of the two presented themselves on that date issuing further justifications for their absence In view of this the Chamber of Deputies approved on 19 February a formal request demanding that President Anez instruct the Ministers of State to comply with their constitutional duties 13 Censure dismissal and reinstatement Edit In the session scheduled for 6 March Lopez was absent for the third consecutive time alleging work reasons 14 This time the Plurinational Assembly refused to accept his presented excuse and with a two thirds vote moved to censure him the first time any government minister had been censured since the passage of the 2009 Constitution As per Copa according to Article 158 of the Constitution such a vote entailed the removal of the targeted official 15 In response Anez defended Lopez stating that he has done a great job in the face of natural disasters and for the pacification of the homeland 16 Nonetheless on 9 March Anez issued Presidential Decree N 4175 which annulled Lopez s appointment and designated Vice Minister Gaston Ramiro Penaloza as the acting minister of defense 14 17 18 The next day however she reversed her decision and reappointed Lopez to his position 19 20 According to Senator oscar Ortiz Antelo the Constitution does not prohibit the censured minister from returning 21 In this context the move to oust Lopez only to immediately reappoint him was a way of respecting the Constitution while at the same time circumventing its provisions In August the assembly passed a law that closed this loophole by requiring the dismissal of censured ministers within 24 hours and barred them from serving in government positions for 3 years 22 Tear gas case Edit Lopez was implicated in another scandal when on 31 May 2020 the journalist Junior Arias brought to light accusations of irregular purchases of tear gas at highly inflated prices during the social conflicts of late 2019 According to the documents he presented the Ministry of Government had requested the purchase of chemical agents from the Brazilian company Condor Tecnologias Nao Letais with the Miami based company Bravo Tactical Solutions LLC as an intermediary 23 Though the case mostly shone the spotlight on Murillo a complaint was also lodged against Lopez who had signed the contract on 19 December for an amount of 5 6 million 24 At that price each tear gas cartridge would ve cost between Bs250 and Bs270 36 25 to 39 15 more than double what other countries such as Venezuela had previously paid 23 Lopez denied the allegations claiming that the reason for the price difference was that the government had bought cartridges with 430gm of gunpowder whereas the government in Caracas had purchased 225gm cartridges However no mention of weight ever appeared in the signed agreement 25 Flight from the country EditNearing the end of Anez s transitional government the Prosecutor s Office accused Murillo and Lopez of crimes of improper use of influence negotiations incompatible with the exercise of public functions by individuals contracts harmful to the State and breach of duties On 5 November 2020 three days before the end of Anez s mandate and the inauguration of president elect Luis Arce the anti corruption prosecutor Luis Fernando Atanacio Fuentes issued a formal request for an immigration alert against the pair in order to avoid their preemptive departure from the country 26 That day neither Murillo nor Lopez were present for Anez s final presidential address which was attended by the rest of her ministers While the entirety of the cabinet presented its resignation on 6 November outgoing Minister of Economy Branko Marinkovic later revealed that the two had presented their resignations days before 1 The whereabouts of Murillo and Lopez remained unclear for some days leading the Prosecutor s Office to request a report from the General Directorate of Migration on whether either of the former ministers had fled the country 27 28 On 16 November it issued an arrest warrant against both of them on the grounds that there are indications that the accused may hide flee or leave the country 29 The following day Police Commander Colonel Johnny Aguilera reported that Murillo and Lopez departed on a FAB 046 from El Trompillo Airport on 5 November arriving in Santa Cruz from where they crossed the border through Puerto Suarez and into Brazil After that they would ve travelled on foot through areas without immigration control until they arrived at Corumba According to Colonel Pablo Garcia director of Interpol Bolivia Lopez used his last two days as an authority to gain a last favor from members of the military who secured the plane for his escape 30 While Murillo left for Panama on 9 November Lopez remained in Brazil 31 As a result of these events the former head of the General Directorate of Migration Marcel Rivas was apprehended on 19 November with the Prosecutor s Office accusing him of having helped facilitate the flight of the ex ministers 32 Three more officials subordinates of the general directorate in offices in Puerto Quijarro and Puerto Suarez were subsequently arrested on 21 November 33 On 6 January 2021 the Prosecutor s Office announced its intent to indict Murillo and Lopez on charges of breach of duties improper use of influence among other crimes relating to the tear gas case in order to facilitate the activation of a Red Notice from Interpol 34 The indictment was formalized two days later 35 Despite initial reports that both Murillo and Lopez were in the United States Minister of Government Eduardo del Castillo indicated on 27 May that Lopez was still in Brazil and announced that the government would request his extradition from the country 36 On 14 July Interpol Brazil confirmed that Lopez remains in the country 37 Coup d etat plot Edit On 17 June 2021 journalists from The Intercept broke the story that in the few weeks after Luis Arce s victory in the 2020 general election Lopez had attempted to facilitate a coup d etat to prevent his assumption to office Leaked phone recordings and emails revealed that Lopez had been in contact with Joe Pereira a former civilian administrator with the U S Army In the audio logs Lopez indicated that military high command is already in preliminary talks and promised that the commander of the armed forces Sergio Orellana is working on all of this and that we have a united armed forces Lopez continued by stating that he was focused on avoiding the annihilation of my country 38 Among the concerns within the armed forces were fears that the Movement for Socialism intended to replace them with civilian militias along Venezuelan lines During his ministerial administration Lopez had echoed such concerns stating in January 2020 that Evo Morales indicates that there is a serious intention to eliminate the Armed Forces and the Police so that there is a foreign militia in our country 39 Bolivian political scientist Eduardo Gamarra also suggested that the armed forces were rightly concerned there was going to be a major purge The MAS was going to be furious 38 In different call logs Pereira assured that he could get up to 10 000 men with no problem outlining a plan to pick up personnel in Homestead Air Reserve Base in Miami using Bolivian owned C 130s of which the Ministry of Defense had one The mercenaries would be placed under shell contracts to disguise the purpose of their presence Pereira s claims were later characterized as exaggerated with his assurance of 10 000 men being called absurd The coup plot ultimately never came to fruition largely due to disagreements between Lopez and Murillo whose capacity as minister of government gave him singular control of police 38 References EditNotes Edit The entire Anez cabinet resigned on 6 November 2020 Former officials have asserted that Lopez had already left his duties days before though it is unclear when exactly his resignation was issued and accepted Lopez fled the country on 5 November 1 Footnotes Edit a b Branko Murillo y Lopez renunciaron dias antes que otros ministros Pagina Siete in Spanish La Paz 7 November 2020 Retrieved 20 November 2021 Ministro boliviano acepta dialogo con ejercito para salida de Morales 24 Horas in Spanish Mexico City 30 December 2019 Retrieved 20 November 2021 a b c Fernando Lopez Julio se hace cargo del Ministerio de Defensa Pagina Siete in Spanish La Paz 13 November 2019 Retrieved 19 November 2021 Cadena Patricia 15 November 2019 Quien es Fernando Lopez el nuevo ministro de Defensa eju in Spanish Retrieved 19 November 2021 Anez arma su primer gabinete con gente de Unidad Democrata y cercanos a Camacho El Deber in Spanish Santa Cruz de la Sierra 14 November 2019 Retrieved 20 November 2021 Ministro de Defensa admite que converso con las FFAA antes de la renuncia de Evo Correo del Sur in Spanish Sucre 29 December 2019 Retrieved 20 November 2020 Decreto Presidencial N 4077 Gaceta Oficial del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia 13 November 2019 Retrieved 11 June 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link La presidenta interina Anez nombra un gabinete de urgencia y apunta que Morales no podra presentarse a las elecciones El Mundo Madrid 14 November 2019 Retrieved 6 January 2022 Pereyra Omar 30 December 2019 Copa despues del receso de la Asamblea se interpelara a ministros por Senkata y Cochabamba eju in Spanish Retrieved 20 November 2021 Choque Se interpelara a Murillo y Lopez por las muertes de Senkata y Cochabamba Pagina Siete in Spanish La Paz 3 January 2020 Retrieved 20 November 2021 Murillo y Lopez presentaron justificativos y su interpelacion se postergara Erbol in Spanish 10 January 2020 Retrieved 20 November 2021 Guarachi Angel 11 January 2020 El Legislativo reprograma para el 17 la interpelacion a Murillo y Lopez La Razon in Spanish La Paz Retrieved 20 November 2021 Corz Carlos 19 February 2020 Diputados piden a Anez instruir a ministros ir a interpelacion por casos como muertes en Sacaba y Senkata La Razon in Spanish La Paz Retrieved 20 November 2021 a b Parisi Kiarinna 10 March 2020 Jeanine Anez deja sin efecto la designacion del ministro de Defensa boliviano Fernando Lopez CN N in Spanish Atlanta Retrieved 20 November 2021 Asamblea Legislativa censura al Ministro de Defensa Correo del Sur in Spanish Sucre 6 March 2020 Retrieved 20 November 2021 Flores Paola 7 March 2020 Bolivia Gobierno rechaza censura a ministro de Defensa Associated Press in Spanish Retrieved 20 November 2021 Decreto Presidencial N 4175 Gaceta Oficial del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia in Spanish 9 March 2020 Retrieved 20 November 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Written at La Paz Un general asume temporalmente el ministerio de Defensa en Bolivia La Vanguardia in Spanish Barcelona 10 March 2020 Retrieved 20 November 2021 Decreto Presidencial N 4177 Gaceta Oficial del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia in Spanish 10 March 2020 Retrieved 20 November 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Written at La Paz Un ministro boliviano vuelve a su puesto al dia siguiente de ser destituido EFE in Spanish Madrid 10 March 2020 Retrieved 20 November 2021 Written at La Paz Presidenta de Bolivia restituye a ministro cesado un dia antes France 24 in Spanish Paris Agence France Presse 10 March 2020 Retrieved 20 November 2021 Gomez Miguel 12 August 2020 Diputados sancionan ley para que ministros censurados no ocupen cargos por tres anos La Razon in Spanish La Paz Retrieved 20 November 2021 a b Gases lacrimogenos Otra denuncia de corrupcion que incomoda al Gobierno Correo del Sur in Spanish Sucre 2 June 2020 Retrieved 20 November 2021 Cronologia del caso gases lacrimogenos el negocio millonario que puso a Arturo Murillo tras las rejas boliviaverifica bo in Spanish 29 May 2021 Retrieved 20 November 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Penaranda U Raul 5 June 2020 Empresa Condor tambien ofrecio gases a Ecuador en us 12 Bolivia pago 37 Pagina Siete in Spanish La Paz Retrieved 20 November 2021 Fiscalia pidio el arraigo de Lopez y Murillo por caso gases lacrimogenos Pagina Siete in Spanish La Paz 5 November 2020 Retrieved 20 November 2021 Arturo Murillo y Fernando Lopez salieron del pais Correo del Sur in Spanish Sucre 9 November 2020 Retrieved 20 November 2021 Fiscalia pide informes a Migracion sobre el paradero de los exministros Murillo y Lopez Agencia de Noticias Fides in Spanish La Paz 11 November 2020 Retrieved 20 November 2021 Cuiza Paulo 16 November 2020 Fiscalia emite ordenes de aprehension contra los exministros Murillo y Lopez por caso gases lacrimogenos La Razon in Spanish La Paz Retrieved 20 November 2021 Gomez Miguel 18 November 2020 Interpol Bolivia supo de un ultimo favor a Lopez y Murillo para su fuga del pais La Razon in Spanish La Paz Retrieved 20 November 2021 Aguilera reporta que Murillo esta en Panama y Lopez en Brasil Los Tiempos in Spanish Cochabamba 17 November 2020 Retrieved 20 November 2021 Aprehenden al exdirector de Migracion por las salidas de Murillo y Lopez Pagina Siete in Spanish La Paz 19 November 2020 Retrieved 20 November 2020 Arancibia Guillen Guider 21 November 2020 Detienen a tres funcionarios de Migracion de Puerto Suarez por salida de ex ministros El Deber in Spanish Santa Cruz de la Sierra Retrieved 20 November 2021 Preven imputar a Murillo y Lopez por caso gases citan a Camacho por presunto golpe Opinion in Spanish Cochabamba 6 January 2021 Retrieved 20 November 2021 Formalizan imputacion contra Murillo y Lopez para activar el sello rojo de Interpol Opinion in Spanish Cochabamba 8 January 2021 Retrieved 20 November 2021 Gobierno de Bolivia dice que el exministro Luis Fernando Lopez esta en Brasil y pedira su extradicion Europa Press in Spanish Madrid 27 May 2021 Retrieved 19 November 2021 La Policia revela que Interpol confirmo que Fernando Lopez se encuentra en Brasil Opinion in Spanish Cochabamba 14 July 2021 Retrieved 19 November 2021 a b c Grim Ryan Blair Laurence 17 June 2021 Bolivian ex minister of defense plotted a second coup using U S mercenaries The Intercept Retrieved 19 November 2021 El Gobierno de Bolivia cree que Evo Morales pretendia desmantelar las Fuerzas Armadas y la Policia Notimerica in Spanish 13 January 2020 Retrieved 21 November 2021 External links Edit Government profile Ministry of Defense in Spanish Archived from the original on 30 April 2020 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Luis Fernando Lopez amp oldid 1124588161, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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