Bolivian court orders ex-president jailed for 5 months on corruption charges

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — A Bolivian court on Friday ordered the country's former President Luis Arce to remain detained for five months while he awaits trial on corruption charges, the latest development in a case that threatens to exacerbate Bolivia's political tensions.

Arce, 62, a leader from Bolivia’s Movement Toward Socialism party, was elected in 2020 and left office a month ago following the election of Bolivia's first right-wing leader in nearly two decades. He strongly denies the charges of breach of duty and financial misconduct. He faces up to six years in prison if convicted.

Two days after Arce's sudden arrest on the streets of Bolivia's capital of La Paz, a judge ordered his detention in a virtual hearing Friday.

Arce was transferred to one of Bolivia's largest prisons in La Paz at night. No trial date was announced.

The accusations concern the alleged diversion of millions of dollars from a state fund into private accounts and date back to when Arce served as economy minister under former President Evo Morales from 2006 until 2017.

Although the scandal first broke in 2017, investigations into the alleged graft stalled during Morales' presidency as Bolivia's courts proved submissive to the political power of the day. The case was reopened when conservative President Rodrigo Paztook office last month, ending almost two decades of dominance by the Movement Toward Socialism, or MAS, party.

Paz campaigned on a promise to clean up the government and seek justice for corruption as he rode to power on a wave of outrage over Bolivia's worst economic crisis in four decades.

Arce criticized the charges as political persecution.

“I’m a scapegoat,” he told the judge, insisting that he had no personal involvement in the government fund under scrutiny, which supported the Indigenous people and peasant farmers who formed the backbone of MAS support.

“The accusations are politically motivated.”

Officials involved in the previous iteration of the investigation say Arce is accused of siphoning off money from rural development projects to secure loyalty from MAS-allied union and Indigenous leaders during election campaigns.

Morales was elected to three consecutive terms, but was ousted in 2019 when his reelection to an unprecedented fourth term sparked accusations of fraud and mass protests.

Arce's lawyers asked the judge to grant his release pending trial, citing the ex-president's battle with kidney cancer several years ago.

But Judge Elmer Laura denied the appeal, and even exceeded the prosecution’s request of three months in a juvenile detention center by ordering five months in a state prison.

“These are crimes that directly affect state assets and resources that were allocated to vulnerable sectors," Laura said.

Isabel DeBre in Santiago, Chile, contributed to this report.

Police officers escort former President Luis Arce to San Pedro Prison after his arrest as part of a corruption investigation in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Police officers escort former President Luis Arce to San Pedro Prison after his arrest as part of a corruption investigation in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Former President Luis Arce comments to the press as he is escorted to San Pedro Prison after his arrest as part of a corruption investigation in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Police officers escort former President Luis Arce to San Pedro Prison after his arrest as part of a corruption investigation in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza has won the Maxwell and Davey O'Brien awards on the eve of the Heisman Trophy presentation, and the redshirt junior is heavily favored to take the top prize in college football.

Mendoza took the honors for the nation's player of the year and top QB on ESPN's college awards show on Friday night. The Heisman winner will be named Saturday night in New York, and Mendoza is an overwhelming favorite, according to BetMGM.

The Maxwell and O'Brien honors came a day after Mendoza was named The Associated Press player of the year.

The California transfer led the Hoosiers to a 13-0 record, a victory over Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game and the top seed in the College Football Playoff. Indiana's first O'Brien winner set a program record with an FBS-leading 33 touchdown passes.

“It's a wonderful feeling. It really doesn't feel real,” Mendoza said from New York after being named the O'Brien winner. “It's a testament to so many people who believed in me, who have helped groom me into the player I am today and all those people, especially before anybody knew my name.”

Mendoza won the O'Brien over Ohio State freshman Julian Sayin and Texas A&M's Marcel Reed, two other quarterbacks getting ready to lead their teams in the CFP.

The Maxwell nod for Mendoza came over Sayin and Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love, who was that storied program's first Doak Walker Award winner as the nation's premier running back. Love set a school record with 21 touchdowns.

Mendoza is Indiana's second Maxwell winner after running back Anthony Thompson in 1989.

Mendoza's coach, Curt Cignetti, was named coach of the year for the second consecutive season. The Hoosiers had their first undefeated regular season since 1945, won the Big Ten for the first time in 58 years and ended a 37-year losing streak to the Buckeyes. The win over Ohio State earned Indiana its first No. 1 AP ranking.

Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the defensive player of the year. He was already the Bronko Nagurski Award winner, also for the best defensive player.

Southern California's Makai Lemon was named the Fred Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation's top receiver. He was in the top 10 nationally with 1,156 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns.

Ohio State safety Caleb Downs was named the Jim Thorpe Award winner as the top defensive back, and Utah offensive lineman Spencer Fano won the Outland Trophy as the best interior lineman.

Oklahoma's Tate Sandell won the Lou Groza Award as the best kicker, and Georgia's Brett Thorson took the Ray Guy Award as the top punter. Both programs are headed to the CFP.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

FILE - Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (4) carries the ball during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

FILE - Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza warms up before an NCAA college football game against Iowa, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)