The Supreme Court overturned the right-wing leader’s conviction for illegally assuming the presidency following the 2019 ouster of Evo Morales.
Published on November 5, 2025
Bolivia’s Supreme Court has overturned the 10-year prison sentence of former interim president Jeanine Anez. Pleaded guilty to alleged plot to oust her leftist predecessor Evo Morales.
Supreme Court Justice Romer Saucedo told reporters on Wednesday that the sentence against Anez, who served more than four years in prison, was overturned based on “violations” of due process during her trial.
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“She received a final sentence of 10 years and as a result, she was released today,” Saucedo said.
Anez, a former conservative senator, declared himself In 2019 Bolivia’s interim leader Morales fled the country following mass protests over allegations of electoral fraud during his controversial bid for a fourth term.
Morales, the South American country’s first indigenous president, claimed he was the victim of a coup after the military called on him to step down after weeks of unrest.
Anez’s administration cracked down on the protests, which left at least 35 people dead and 833 injured, rights group Amnesty International said.
Anez was Arrested in 2021 After Morales’ leftist Movement for Socialism (MAS) party returned to power a year ago, and was convicted of illegally assuming the presidency in 2022.
Supreme Court Justice Saucedo said Wednesday that Anez should have been tried not by the criminal justice system but by a special court that tries crimes by lawmakers in the course of their duties.
Anez did not immediately comment on the court’s decision.
In a social media post on Tuesday, she defended her record and said she will “never regret serving my country when it needed me”.
“I did this with a clear conscience and a stable heart, knowing that difficult decisions come at a price,” she wrote.
The Supreme Court’s decision came weeks after Bolivian voters Choice of Rodrigo Paz The center-right Christian Democratic Party (PDC) ended its nearly 20-year reign as its new president, MAS.