Bolivia’s government has suspended its gasoline supply contracts with traders Vitol and Trafigura Group as it investigates fuel quality issues, Hydrocarbons and Energy Minister Mauricio Medinaceli said in a webcast press conference on Tuesday.
The announcement follows a blockade and strike by public transport drivers in La Paz and El Alto last week over damage to thousands of vehicles allegedly caused by poor-quality gasoline. The government was able to quell the protests by pledging to guarantee fuel standards, accelerate compensation payments for damage to cars, and conduct inspections in fuel stations all over the country.