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The Bolivian judiciary declared former president Evo Morales in contempt on Monday due to his absence at the opening hearing of the oral trial for aggravated human trafficking in the Tarija department, and ordered his immediate apprehension.
The president of the Departmental Court of Justice of Tarija, Luis Ortiz, confirmed that the court has ordered the issuance of a new arrest warrant and the restraining of the former president, after neither he nor the second accused—identified as the mother of the alleged underage victim—appeared or justified their absence.
"Today, the hearing in the human trafficking case involving former president Evo Morales and a second woman has taken place. The hearing has resulted in the declaration of rebellion for both defendants once again, as they did not appear and did not provide justification for their absence," Ortiz stated.
The process has been suspended with no set date and will only resume when the defendants are apprehended or voluntarily appear before the court.
The prosecutor of the case emphasized that it is the Police's responsibility to execute the arrest warrant and that the Public Ministry has fulfilled all required procedural actions.
Morales faces accusations of having maintained a relationship with a minor identified as Cindy S.V.P., who was between 14 and 15 years old when the connection with the then-president, who was approximately 57 years old, allegedly began.
The contact is said to have occurred through the so-called "Youth Guard" or "Evo Generation," a group of young people created during his administration. From that relationship, a girl was born on February 8, 2016, whose birth certificate lists Juan Evo Morales Ayma as the father.
The Tarija Prosecutor's Office gathered over 170 pieces of evidence to support the charges in the oral trial.
The magistrate Rossmery Ruiz clarified that a motion presented by the young woman —in which she claims there is no victim in the case— cannot be resolved before the trial is established: "As long as the oral trial is not set, no written motion can be resolved."
Morales' defense, led by attorney Nelson Cox, argued that the former president did not attend because he did not receive notification at his home and reported irregularities in the due process.
This is the second time that Morales has been declared a fugitive in this case. In January 2025, a judge had already declared him a fugitive after he failed to appear at two hearings for precautionary measures, citing illness, which resulted in restrictions on his movements, freezing of accounts, and asset registration.
Since October 2024, when the Prosecutor's Office issued the first arrest warrant, Morales has remained holed up in the Tropic of Cochabamba. At that time, his supporters blocked roads for 24 days to prevent the execution of the capture.
The political isolation of the former president has deepened in recent months: in March 2026, the Bolivian Senate approved with more than two-thirds of the votes the removal of his bust from the Legislative Palace in La Paz, a measure that was executed on March 26.
The Attorney General of the State, Roger Mariaca, was emphatic about the status of the proceedings: "We are on the brink of an oral trial, and it will be the court that determines whether to acquit or convict this individual in the criminal process."
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