Bolivian Government Fires State
Oil Chief
La Paz - The head of Bolivia's state
oil company YPFB was sacked on Saturday amid reports that he was
involved in a corruption scandal.
Bolivian President Evo Morales replaced Samtos Ramirez with Carlos
Villegas, current planning minister and former energy minister.
Earlier this week, Jorge O'Connor, a Bolivian businessman, was
murdered while carrying 450,000 U.S. dollars in cash and assailants
fled with the money.
Local media quoted prosecutors and police sources as saying the
money was going to be handed over by O'Connor to Ramirez's
brother-in-law and that O'Connor worked for Argentine-Bolivian
energy company Catler Uniservice, which won a contract to build a
natural gas plant in Bolivia for YPFB last year.
Ramirez, who has not been charged with any crime, denied any
wrongdoing Friday. Catler Uniservice, meanwhile, has yet to make any
comments on the case.
Morales, while announcing the new YPFB head, vowed a thorough
investigation into the murder case, according to the ABI, Bolivia's
official news agency.
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