Bolivia has returned to the IMF an “expensive” loan of …

In a clear example of its change of course in economic matters, Bolivia returned to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) a millionaire loan taken out by the de facto government in 2020. The Central Bank of Bolivia (BCB) argued that the $ 346.7 million loan was “onerous” and “improperly managed” by the Jeanine Áñez regime, who replaced former President Evo Morales in November 2019 after the coup. In parallel, the head of the Senate, AndróNico Rodriguez, he said that does not exclude taking a liability action against Áñez for its negotiations with the Fund.

“The BCB as a financial agent of the government, in defense of the economic sovereignty of the country and after having carried out the necessary administrative procedures with the creditor, made the total payment of 351.5 million US dollars”, said the issuing body through a statement. The loan “generated additional and millionaire economic costs for the Bolivian state, which amounted to $ 24.3 million in February 2021,” the BCB added.

More precisely, the central bank made a payment of $ 351.5 million, of which $ 346.7 million was principal on the debt and the remaining $ 4.7 million was interest and commissions. The credit would have conditioned a series of fiscal, financial, foreign exchange and monetary taxes, “thus violating the sovereignty and the economic interests of the country”. The bank that reports to the executive also announced that take civil and criminal proceedings against government officials who are responsible for managing IMF financial support.

In April 2020, IMF-approved “financial assistance” “to help the country meet the balance of payments needs arising from covid-19 was released., covers the necessary medical costs and aid measures to protect the well-being of the population, “the newspaper recalled. The reason. Áñez resumed his contacts with the Fund after the government of Evo Morales decided to break with the policies defined by the international organization, which he has repeatedly accused of imposing policies to the detriment of the vast majority.

After accepting the loan, the de facto authorities submitted a law to Parliament for approval. But Congress with a majority of the Movement towards Socialism (MAS) rejected it, arguing that the interim government did not attach all the necessary documentation on the credit agreement, financing terms, guarantees and whether the The state was able to borrow and pay.

The president of the chamber of senators, Andrónico Rodríguez, reported on Thursday that the Plurinational Legislature is evaluating the opening of a liability case against former Áñez regime authorities for the credit managed before the IMF.

During a press conference, Rodríguez indicated that the Assembly will ask for detailed information on the case to define the steps to follow. “We are aware of this problem and we will see the possibility of taking legal action against the de facto government,” said who is also vice-president of the Six Federations of the Tropic of Cochabamba. “This undoubtedly corresponds to the economic damage caused ”, he added.

For its part Evo Morales, removed from the Fund during his 14 years of government (2006-2019), congratulated President Luis Arce for “returning the transfer credit to the IMF, heavy and conditional assumed by the dictatorship against the interests of our people ” and celebrated that “Bolivia is free, dignified and sovereign again”.