El Gobierno de Bolivia descartó realizar el pago retroactivo por cinco años de renta para expresidentes a la expresidenta Jeanine Añez (2019-2020). A través de un comunicado público, el Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas Públicas explicó que no existe un respaldo legal para realizar el desembolso.

En la nota, esa cartera explica que el trámite para solicitar el pago vitalicio consiste en presentar una solicitud acompañada de una certificación emitida por el Ministerio de la Presidencia que acredite el periodo de ejercicio de sus funciones.

Añez habría realizado solicitudes de certificación durante la gestión del expresidente Luis Arce (2020-2025), sin lograr obtenerlas y, por lo tanto, no pudo presentar la solicitud del pago.

Recién el 12 de diciembre de 2026, cuando el presidente Rodrigo Paz llevaba un mes en funciones, lo hizo cumpliendo con los requisitos establecidos por ley. En ese sentido, el Gobierno emitió una resolución ministerial mediante la cual se autorizó el pago de la renta vitalicia.

Posteriormente, el 6 de enero, la expresidenta solicitó desembolsos retroactivos. “Corresponde aclarar que el Ministerio de Economía no puede autorizar pagos retroactivos que no estén expresamente respaldados por la normativa vigente”, señala la nota en la que remarca que la Ley 376, que regula el beneficio, no contempla pagos por periodos anteriores a su reconocimiento.

“Este Gobierno reconoció y autorizó el beneficio que no fue otorgado durante la anterior administración, pero no existe respaldo legal para efectuar pagos por periodos que no fueron reconocidos ni habilitados conforme a ley”, señala el comunicado.

En respuesta, la expresidenta manifestó que no está pidiendo un privilegio sino el cumplimiento de un derecho que le fue negado. “¿Debe una persona perder años de un derecho que le corresponde porque el Estado le impidió ejercerlo? Yo sostengo que no”, escribió en su cuenta de X en referencia a la imposibilidad de obtener antes los requisitos para el pago.

“No pido privilegios. Pido que se respete la ley y que se reconozcan plenamente los derechos que me corresponden como expresidenta constitucional de Bolivia”, escribió.

Añez asumió la presidencia de Bolivia tras la renuncia del expresidente Evo Morales (2006-2019) durante los convulsos días de noviembre de 2019. Morales, que intentaba asumir ilegalmente un cuarto mandato, huyó del país en medio de protestas sociales que exigían su renuncia y lo acusaban de haber cometido fraude electoral.

Con su dimisión cayeron también quienes lo seguían en la línea de sucesión constitucional: el vicepresidente, la presidenta del Senado y el presidente de la Cámara de Diputados.

Añez, que hasta entonces había sido una senadora de bajo perfil por el departamento amazónico, ocupaba la segunda vicepresidencia de la Cámara de Senadores. El 12 de noviembre, en una sesión sin quórum y cuestionada por el incumplimiento del reglamento interno, asumió la presidencia del Senado primero y la del Estado después.

Su mandato transitorio, que debía durar tres meses y solo convocar a elecciones, duró casi un año, debido a que la elección sufrió postergaciones por la pandemia de Covid-19.

Cuando el Movimiento Al Socialismo (MAS) de Evo Morales retornó al poder con la candidatura de su sucesor, el expresidente Luis Arce, se abrieron múltiples procesos judiciales contra Añez por la forma en la que asumió el Gobierno y por denuncias de corrupción. La exmandataria estuvo encarcelada cuatro años y recuperó su libertad en noviembre de 2025, cuando la Justicia resolvió anular una sentencia de diez años en su contra.

Members of Congress are calling for increased oversight and reform after a Haitian national in Florida was convicted in a healthcare fraud conspiracy that prosecutors said involved more than $58 million in false claims targeting Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers using a federal drug discount program.

Prosecutors accused Jean Jethro Alexandre and his co-conspirators in 2025 of recruiting fake patients and offering them financial kickbacks if they accepted fraudulent prescriptions — primarily for HIV and AIDS medication — written by nurse practitioners involved in the operation, according to court documents reviewed by Fox News Digital. Alexandre would then cash in on the scheme through insurance reimbursements for filling the fake prescriptions.

He used the proceeds from his scheme to bankroll a life of luxury, including a fleet of top-end cars, a mansion near Miami and a slate of investment properties.

The case is drawing renewed scrutiny to the 340B Drug Pricing Program, a decades-old federal initiative designed to help safety-net providers serve low-income patients that is increasingly being criticized by lawmakers and industry groups who say weak oversight has allowed bad actors to exploit the system. Advocates for reform may point to Alexandre’s case as evidence that the program is in need of tweaks to reduce the risk of fraud.

MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR HEALTHCARE FRAUD SCHEME INCLUDED GIVING PEOPLE ‘UNNECESSARY’ SKIN GRAFTS: DOJ

«The 340B program was created with good intentions to help vulnerable and underserved patients access care, but unfortunately, it has evolved into a massive, poorly supervised program with weak transparency and accountability safeguards,» Rep. Diana Harshbarger, herself a pharmacist, told Fox News Digital. «Cases like this demonstrate how the current structure can create opportunities for bad actors to exploit deeply discounted drugs, questionable contract pharmacy arrangements and opaque reimbursement practices for personal profit.»

«When there is limited federal oversight, little transparency into how 340B revenues are used, and enormous financial spreads between discounted acquisition costs and insurer reimbursements, it should not surprise anyone that fraudsters see the program as a target,» she said.

Alexandre used a nonprofit health clinic that he secretly co-owned to purchase drugs at a discounted rate using the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program and had the prescriptions filled by pharmacies, who provided Alexandre’s clinic with reimbursements paid by insurers, including Medicare and Medicaid. The arrangement allowed Alexandre and his colleagues to pocket the difference between what he was paid in reimbursements and what the drugs cost him through the discount program.

While this is a legitimate way for healthcare providers to generate revenue generally, according to the Government Accountability Office, Alexandre’s conduct was illegal because the underlying prescriptions were fake. Prosecutors allege, for instance, that in some cases the drugs were simply destroyed after being dispensed to fraudulent patients. 

WOODSTOCK, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 01: A Bentley Flying Spur Hybrid is displayed during the Salon Prive 2023 at Blenheim Palace on September 01, 2023 in Woodstock, England.  (Getty Images)

«Alexandre’s blatantly setting up a fraudulent medical clinic and disregarding important safety net programs, as well as finite taxpayer dollars, shows the need for the Committee to continue its important work in cracking down on harmful schemes like this one,» Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., who sits on the health subcommittee of the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee, told Fox News Digital.

«Although I am supportive of the 340B Drug Pricing Program, this instance of fraud is yet another example of how the program has strayed far from its initial intent and is something my Health Subcommittee will continue to monitor closely,» the congressman added.

FBI LAUNCHES ‘MOST WANTED FRAUDSTERS’ LIST AS DOJ CHARGES OHIO DEFENDANTS IN $30M MEDICAID SCHEME FOR KIDS

Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn., speaks during the Republican Study Committee news conference to introduce a «Women’s Bill of Rights» outside the Capitol on May 19, 2022.

Prosecutors said Alexandre used proceeds from the healthcare fraud conspiracy for personal benefit and traced assets from the scheme to a luxury-car collection that included a 2024 Mercedes-Benz S-Class, a 2023 Bentley Flying Spur, a Mercedes-Benz G-Class AMG and a six-passenger golf cart-style vehicle.

Additionally, he purchased a $2.5 million 4,452-square-foot mansion on the southern coast of Florida equipped with a custom pool and spa. 

The Trump administration has mounted a series of fraud investigations across federal programs, including Medicaid and Medicare, framing them as part of a broader push to root out waste, abuse and improper payments. That effort intensified in December 2025, shortly after Alexandre was initially indicted, signaling a more aggressive enforcement posture.

Alexandre, a native and citizen of Haiti, is to be handed over to ICE and processed for removal after serving his sentence of just under 10 years in prison. He will be barred from reentering the United States without written permission from the relevant authorities.

DR. OZ SAYS TAXPAYERS FOOTING $14 BILLION BILL FOR MEDICAID FRAUD WHILE ELIGIBLE PATIENTS STRUGGLE FOR CARE

Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., listens during a House Rules Committee meeting on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 2025. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

«Anyone who comes to the United States to steal from American taxpayers should be denaturalized and deported, which is why I introduced the Fraud Accountability Act earlier this year,» Sen. Marsha Blackburn told Fox News Digital. «We’re grateful President Trump is laser-focused on rooting out fraud across the federal government, including in the 340B Program. The Trump DOJ and HHS are working hand in hand to eliminate health care fraud and hold every fraudster accountable.»

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In addition to prison time, Alexandre is on the hook for paying roughly $14.3 million in restitution, per the terms of his plea agreement. Alexandre’s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.

«Every dollar stolen from these programs is a dollar taken from families who need it most,» Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., told Fox News Digital. «The 340B Program was created to help patients access affordable health care, not enrich criminals and fraudsters. I am working to strengthen transparency and accountability in 340B to ensure the program lowers costs and improves care for American families.»

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