Sat Dec 13 05:11:08 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a summary and a rewritten news article based on the provided text:
Summary:
Former Bolivian President Luis Arce has been arrested and ordered to be detained for five months while he awaits trial on corruption charges. The charges relate to the alleged diversion of millions of dollars from a state fund during his tenure as Economy Minister. Arce denies the charges, claiming they are politically motivated. His arrest comes after the election of Bolivia’s first right-wing leader in nearly two decades, who campaigned on cleaning up government corruption. The investigation, which stalled during the previous administration, has been reopened. A judge denied Arce’s appeal for release pending trial, citing the severity of the crimes involving misappropriation of state funds intended for vulnerable sectors.
News Article:
Former Bolivian President Arce Detained on Corruption Charges
La Paz, Bolivia – Former Bolivian President Luis Arce has been ordered to remain in pre-trial detention for five months following his arrest on corruption charges. A Bolivian court issued the order Friday, December 12, 2025, following allegations that Arce diverted millions of dollars from a State fund during his time as Economy Minister under former President Evo Morales.
Arce, 62, who served as President from 2020 until last month, when he was succeeded by Rodrigo Paz, Bolivia’s first right-wing leader in nearly two decades, vehemently denies the accusations. He faces up to six years in prison if convicted on charges of breach of duty and financial misconduct.
The investigation into the alleged corruption, which stalled during Morales’ presidency, was reopened following Paz’s election on a platform of combating corruption and addressing Bolivia’s ongoing economic crisis.
“I am a scapegoat,” Arce told the court during a virtual hearing, insisting the charges are politically motivated. He claims he had no direct involvement with the fund, which supported Indigenous people and peasant farmers.
Prosecutors allege Arce siphoned money from rural development projects to secure support for the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party, which dominated Bolivian politics for nearly two decades.
Arce’s lawyers requested his release pending trial, citing his previous battle with kidney cancer. However, Judge Elmer Laura denied the request, stating that the alleged crimes directly affected state assets intended for vulnerable populations. The judge exceeded the prosecution’s request of three months in a juvenile detention centre by ordering five months in a State prison
Arce has been transferred to San Pedro Prison, one of Bolivia’s largest prisons, pending trial. The date for the trial has not yet been set.
First Piper 