Branko Marinkovic

This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Marinkovic and the second or maternal family name is Jovicevic.

Branko Marinkovic Jovicevic (August 21, 1967, in Santa Cruz de la Sierra) is a Bolivian-Croatian politician and businessman. He was born to a Croatian[1][2][3][4][5] father and Montenegrin[5] mother who came to Bolivia in 1954. Marinkovic also holds Croatian passport.[6]

He studied Electromechanical Engineering and Economics and Finance at the University of Texas in United States. Marinkovic is important in the Oilseeds Industry in Bolivia since 2000 and is president of the Federation of Private Entrepreneurs since 2004 and vice chairman of Banco Económico. He was also elected prefect of the Civic Committee of the Santa Cruz Department in 2006.

Marinkovic is an opponent of President Evo Morales.[7] The La Paz government sees Marinkovic as a thug who is tearing Bolivia by Croatian recipe for separation from the old Yugoslavia - with the streams of blood.

In the documentary, Who is Branko Marinkovic, which aired on Bolivian national television, Marinkovic is depicted as pro- Ustaše, although his father reportedly was as a member of the Partisans. In that same documentary, Marinkovic is shown as a citzien of the Republic of Croatia, which committed war crimes during both World War II and the Croatian War of Independence.[6]

In December 2010, Bolivia's prosecutor has filed charges against 39 people, including Marinkovic, for the last year's alleged plot, whose aim was to kill Evo Morales and start an armed rebellion. Marinkovic, and other leading opposition leaders argued that in no way they are associated with the plot. Marinkovic was forced to exile in the United States while fearing for his life. He claims his innocence and has said; Bolivian government pursues me and forced me to live outside my beloved Bolivia, because in Bolivia my life would be threatened. I have no guarantees that I would be allowed a fair trial.[2]

References

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