Officials in Bolivia issued an arrest warrant Wednesday for a leading political rival of leftist President Evo Morales, charging the conservative politician with tax evasion and election fraud. Manfred Reyes Villa, a former governor of the state of Cochabamba who challenged Morales for Bolivia's presidency, has been in hiding since the December 6 election. An arrest order has also been issued for his wife.
Morales won the election in a landslide, which gave him unfettered control of Bolivia's legislature and a solid grip on the reins of governmental power.
Since the vote, regional prosecutor Mauricio Julio Quintana, whose jurisdiction covers Reyes's home province of Cochabamba, has stepped up his investigation of the former military officer, who was ousted from his governor's post in a January recall vote, along with several other "rebel" governors opposed to Morales.
Reyes -- who has called himself a "victim" of persecution at the hands of Morales's government -- has gone into hiding and is believed to be holed up somewhere in Bolivia, according to a few media outlets which report having had contact with him.
Reyes has filed a complaint pending against the Morales government with the Interamerican Commission for Human Rights.
His attorney, Daniel Humerez, decried what he called a "politicized" investigation, noting that Quintana has close personal and political ties with Morales. "We want the prosecutor to recuse himself" from the investigation against Reyes, Humerez said.