US restricts visas for over 60 Colombia, Bolivia figures

The US State Department said Thursday it was restricting visas for more than 60 public officials and prominent figures from Colombia and Bolivia over alleged links to corruption and narcotrafficking.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the department was imposing restrictions on 21 people in Colombia who, he said, undermined elected governments through corruption or narcotrafficking activities.

The Colombian figures named included Ricardo Roa Barragan, a former president of state oil company Ecopetrol and campaign manager of former president Gustavo Petro, and Yahir Acuna, the mayor of Sincelejo.

The State Department also said 40 people in Bolivia faced visa restrictions, including judges, members of the legislature and former attorney general Juan Lanchipa Ponce.

The restrictions mean existing visas would be revoked and new visa applications would be rejected. Washington previously revoked the visas of about 20 senior Bolivian officials last month, including Attorney General Roger Mariaca, who was arrested shortly afterward.