Former Bolivian President Evo Morales was acquitted of child abuse accusations in Argentina after a federal judge archived the case, ruling that no crime had been committed.

Judge Sebastián Ramos issued a 9-page ruling based on an exhaustive analysis of documentary and testimonial evidence, concluding that the allegations lacked foundation. The case concerned events in 2019 and 2020, when Morales resigned the presidency and received political refuge, first in Mexico and then in Argentina.

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The ruling highlighted the statements of 28 Federal Police officers who served as Morales’s custodians during his stay in Argentina.

“The statements were substantially concordant. None claimed to have seen underage women living in those properties, performing domestic tasks, carrying out duties under irregular conditions, or subjected to any form of exploitation,” the judge wrote. He added that “the concordant result of those proceedings made it possible to rule out the cohabitation of underage women with the accused and the existence of situations of exploitation in the investigated homes.”

Migration records from the National Directorate of Migration were also evaluated. They showed that Noemí Meneses Chávez, identified as an alleged victim, entered Argentina as an adult. Another person involved left the country before Morales arrived. A third, Angélica Ponce, could not be recognized by custody personnel, and her supposed account was discarded by the migration documentation.

The judge also reviewed testimonies from drivers, support staff, and personal guards who had no stake in the outcome. He confirmed that “the investigation did not yield any indication” that Morales had lived with four minors or that they had been subjected to exploitation, recruitment, or transfer in Argentinian territory.

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