Bolivia opposition leader Mesa slams widening coup probe

FILE PHOTO: Bolivia's former president and leader of Citizen Community (CC) Carlos Mesa speaks about former president Jeanine Anez's detention in La Paz, Bolivia, March 13, 2021. REUTERS/David Mercado/File Photo

LA PAZ (Reuters) - Bolivia's opposition leader, conservative former President Carlos Mesa, said on Wednesday the country's socialist government was seeking to hobble rivals by trumping up charges they mounted a coup in 2019 against then-leader Evo Morales.

Bolivian prosecutors under President Luis Arce, a close Morales ally, have in recent weeks taken testimony from more than 30 former officials over the ouster of Morales, who resigned and fled the country two years ago amid widespread protests.