Morales Alleges U.S.-Backed Plot to Kill Him; Justiniano Denies, Demands Proof

In a post on X, former president Evo Morales alleged that President Paz and Defense Minister Ernesto Justiniano — whom he said had spent roughly two weeks in the United States coordinating with U.S. officials — had ordered an operation in the Chapare region to kill rather than capture him, citing unnamed "patriotic" military and police sources. Morales tied the claim to a separate corruption scandal involving presidential adviser Fernando Cerimedo and demanded the detention of First Lady María Elena Urquidi Barbery over alleged fuel and gold corruption links. Justiniano rejected the accusation as "absolutely false and extremely serious" and challenged Morales to present any evidence to the Public Ministry, noting Morales offered no documentation beyond an unrelated, confirmed meeting between Justiniano and U.S. officials at a Panama anti-cartel summit.