LA PAZ, (Reuters) – Bolivia’s soccer clubs voted unanimously yesterday to sack the president of the national soccer federation after he was hit with corruption charges, a senior federation official said.
The removal of Carlos Chavez from the helm of the Bolivian Football Federation comes after state prosecutors last week raided the organization’s headquarters and accused it of failing to cooperate with investigators probing the graft allegations.
“It has been decided to revoke the mandate of Mr Carlos Chavez as president of the federation,” Walter Torrico, secretary-general of the soccer federation, told reporters.
Police arrested Chavez on July 17 on graft charges linked to an alleged scam involving a charity fund set up for the family of a fan who died at an international match. Prosecutors allege the family never received any of the money raised by the fund.
There was no immediate response from Chavez, who is being held in the notorious Palmasola prison pending trial. He is one of five senior officials of the Andean country’s national soccer federation currently under investigation for corruption.
A new president should be elected within 30 days, Torrico said.
