Bolivia has formally requested the extradition of former priest Juan José Santana Trinidad, a Uruguayan national accused of sexually abusing at least 30 minors while serving as a missionary in the early 2000s. Santana was captured in Uruguay after 18 years on the run.
Santana, 56, was arrested on September 26 at his parents’ home in Salto, Uruguay, by national police. Authorities confirmed that he will remain in custody until extradition proceedings—expected to conclude within 60 days—are completed.
He had fled Bolivia in 2007 after allegations surfaced that he was abusing boys at Ángel Gelmí Boarding School in Tapacarí, where he served as director and chaplain.
Witnesses and victims told investigators that Santana would summon boys aged 8 to 17 to his private quarters, where he sexually assaulted them. The crimes came to light after a local nun discovered the abuse and reported it to Church and civil authorities.
Then-Archbishop Tito Solari of Cochabamba publicly denounced the abuse and pledged the Church’s cooperation with legal authorities. Santana was laicized in 2011 after a canonical trial.
After fleeing Bolivia, Santana lived quietly with his family in Uruguay, rarely leaving home. Over the years, journalists from local newspapers—including El País and El Deber—found him several times, but authorities took no action despite an active Interpol warrant.
In past interviews, Santana said only that he was “devastated” and tried to “overcome it” with his family, without addressing the victims’ suffering.
Cardinal Daniel Sturla, Archbishop of Montevideo, said the Uruguayan Church had received no local complaints against Santana since the crimes occurred in Bolivia.
“If he is guilty, he must respond before the law,” the cardinal told Telemundo news.
Legal advisor Susana Inch Sáinz of the Bolivian Bishops’ Conference stated that the Church acted properly when the scandal broke, reporting the case immediately and laicizing Santana.
“The Church cannot detain anyone—that is the responsibility of the civil authorities,” Inch said, adding that it was “inexplicable” that Santana’s whereabouts were ignored for so long.
The Bolivian Community of Survivors of Ecclesial Sex Abuse welcomed Santana’s arrest, calling it “an important step toward truth and justice.”
Spokesperson Edwin Alvarado said the victims had waited nearly two decades for accountability.
“With his extradition, we hope he finally faces trial and that justice is done for the survivors,” Alvarado said.
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