- Title: Bolivian government says Morales' alleged love child does not exist
- Date: 18th May 2016
- Summary: LA PAZ, BOLIVIA (MAY 18, 2016) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF PALACIO QUEMADO GOVERNMENT PALACE GENERAL OF NEWS CONFERENCE WITH COMMUNICATIONS MINISTER, MARIANELA PACO AND JUSTICE MINISTER, VIRGINIA VELASCO VIDEO SHOWN DURING NEWS CONFERENCE FEATURING BOLIVIAN JOURNALIST CARLOS VALDERDE CLAIMING MORALES HAD SON WITH GABRIELA ZAPATA (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) COMMUNICATIONS MINISTER, MARIANELA PACO, SAYING: "A large part of the media have testified to that confirmation of Mr. Valverde. You will remember, that in a similar scenario I had evidenced they were giving credibility to a man who has been linked to drug trafficking and a lady who was systematically lying. And they did not believe our president." LA PAZ, BOLIVIA (RECENT - FEBRUARY 26, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF GABRIELA ZAPATA BEING ARRESTED LA PAZ, BOLIVIA (MAY 18, 2016) (REUTERS) GENERAL VIEW OF NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) JUSTICE MINISTER, VIRGINIA VELASCO, SAYING: "The lawyer Eduardo Leon has used four photographs submitted to the court and presented a child where he has not respected the Political Constitution of the Plurinational State and he has not respected the code girl, boy, adolescent." GENERAL OF NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) JUSTICE MINISTER, VIRGINIA VELASCO, SAYING: "A lawyer who uses a child and presents him to a court where the codes have not been respected will be banned from 15 to 20 years. The president has always had the truth and told the country. Unfortunately this lawyer, Eduardo Leon, has lied to the country using children with four photographs and even carrying a child to court." LA PAZ, BOLIVIA (RECENT - FEBRUARY 26, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF GABRIELA ZAPATA BEING ARRESTED
- Embargoed: 2nd June 2016 21:28
- Keywords: Morales alleged love child Valverde Bolivia
- Location: LA PAZ, BOLIVIA
- City: LA PAZ, BOLIVIA
- Country: Bolivia
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0014IC703N
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY 4:3
A Bolivian journalist who has been in the news for reporting Bolivian President Evo Morales had a son whose existence had been unknown, has now denied the existence of the child, local media reported.
Back in February, Carlos Valverde reported President Morales, who has seen his personal life the subject of speculation in the South American country, had a son with former lover Gabriela Zapata.
Zapata was detained back in February as part of an investigation into alleged corruption and influence peddling involving a Chinese company doing business in Bolivia.
Morales admitted then that he had a secret relationship with Zapata from 2005 to 2007.
Zapata worked as a commercial manager for the Chinese company CAMC Engineering when she was arrested. In recent years the company won lucrative government contracts with Morales' government said to be worth $566 million dollars, according to local media reports.
Suspicion had remained over whether a love child or two emerged from the relationship after initial reports emerged. Morales claims he had been informed by Zapata that their son had died shortly after birth.
But Valderde now claims Zapata and Morales never had a child together.
Valverde had been investigating accusations of influence peddling at the Chinese company, when he claimed Zapata and Morales had had a son together.
Communications Minister, Marianela Paco, told a news conference on Wednesday (May 18) it has now been proven Morales did not have a child.
"A large part of the media have testified to that confirmation of Mr. Valverde. You will remember, that in a similar scenario I had evidenced they were giving credibility to a man who has been linked to drug trafficking and a lady who was systematically lying. And they did not believe our president," Paco said.
Meanwhile, Zapata's aunt had insisted that the boy is alive and well, causing controversy in Bolivia.
Unmarried Morales said had he was unaware that his son had lived and asked the family to let him know the truth.
Zapata refused to tell the truth or to let him see their alleged son. Morales then asked a court to release an order which would allow him to meet the child.
Valderde told the media, a child presented in court was not Zapata's and Morales's son and a judge ruled on May 6 that the non-existence of the child had been proven.
Zapata had refused to undergo DNA tests on both herself and the child presented in court.
Velasco said Leon had submitted false information to the court.
"The lawyer Eduardo Leon has used four photographs submitted to the court and presented a child where he has not respected the Political Constitution of the Plurinational State and he has not respected the code girl, boy, adolescent," Velasco said.
Velasco said Leon would now be banned from the court for 15 to 20 years.
"A lawyer who uses a child and presents him to a court where the codes have not been respected will be banned from 15 to 20 years. The president has always had the truth and told the country. Unfortunately this lawyer, Eduardo Leon, has lied to the country using children with four photographs and even carrying a child to court," Velasco added.
Zapata's attorney Eduardo Leon and aunt, Pilar Guzman, have now both been arrested.
The matter was likely a significant factor in the narrow defeat he suffered last week in a referendum over whether the constitution should be changed to allow him to run for office again in 2019.
Morales has been president since 2006 and his current term runs out in 2020. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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