On Wednesday, Sergio Rodrigo Méndez Mendizábal, former chief of staff of Arturo Murillo, was apprehended at Viru Viru International Airport in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
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The Minister of Government of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Eduardo del Castillo, declared, "Sergio Rodrigo Méndez Mendizábal arrived in our country at dawn deported from the United States (...). Minutes later he was arrested for the crime of Legitimation of Illicit Profits by the 'Gases' case and now he was brought to justice in our country to answer for his crimes".
"Gases" is the name given to the investigation made by the Bolivian government to the purchase of a batch of tear gas from the Brazilian company Condor, of the budget destined for such purchase, the de facto government headed by Jeanine Añez and the de facto minister, Arturo Murillo, they embezzled $2.3 million in overprice.
According to Del Castillo, Sergio Rodríguez Méndez was a key player in the de facto government’s criminal system.
The text reads, The population is informed that Mr. Sergio Rodrigo Méndez Mendizábal (former chief of staff of Arturo Murillo) arrived in our country in the early morning hours deported from the United States (Viru Viru International Airport 04/03/2024 05:50 A.M)...
Murillo and Méndez were arrested in the United States in 2021 and sentenced for money laundering and legitimizing illicit profits.
Other suspects involved in the "Gases" case, who are being investigated, are former Defense Minister Luis Fernando López Julio, also from the Áñez government; although he is in refugee status in Paraguay.