In the event that former coup minister Arturo Murillo is released on bail in the U.S., he will continue to be prosecuted in Bolivia. | Photo: Telam

Miami, June 18 (RHC)-- After initial reports in U.S. media about the alleged release on bail of former coup minister Arturo Murillo, the Bolivian consul in Miami, Oscar Vega Camacho, denied this claim.

"It is incorrect information (that Arturo Murillo is free).  I contacted the law firm that is advising the State and they told me that the information is not true.  It is false information", declared the diplomat to a local media via telephone.

Florida's Attorney General, Wilfredo Chávez, said in a press conference this Thursday, that he has no information about the supposed release of the former coup minister, Arturo Murillo.   "We have contacted our lawyers and so far we have no official information that Mr. Murillo has been released from prison and has reached an agreement, something that I did mention possible the day I arrived from the trip from the United States," Chávez said.

He added that the "negotiation" between Murillo and the U.S. Attorney's Office was a possibility, not yet confirmed, and the team of lawyers is working in that direction.  "According to the digital procedural notebook, to which we have access, there is no record of any hearing for which Murillo has been released," added the high official.

Likewise, Chávez warned about the difference in the laws of both countries.  However, he maintained that whatever the decision of the U.S. justice, the Bolivian government will respect it and in any case, the investigation against Murillo will continue in Bolivia. 

The former coup minister, Arturo Murillo, was arrested on May 26th and charged with payment of bribes and blocking of capital, as part of six charges he faces before the Bolivian justice system, one of them associated to the purchase of overpriced anti-riot material and known as the"Tear Gas Case" in the Andean nation.