Brazil claims more than US$200 million and demands reports from Naabol for the Chapecoense tragedy

The Brazilian justice system initiated proceedings to demand the disclosure of information and accountability from the Bolivian state-owned company Naabol (Navegación Aérea y Aeropuertos Bolivianos) in a civil lawsuit seeking more than US$220 million for the accident involving LaMia flight 2933 in November 2016, which left 71 people dead. There were six survivors. The notification was received by Naabol on October 14, 2025, and formally forwarded on October 20 to the then Attorney General, Ricardo Condori. The change of government on November 8 left the matter in the hands of new authorities who have not yet made a statement. However, the victims' lawyer, Néstor Higa, legal representative of several relatives of the deceased, did make a statement. The letter rogatory was issued by the Federal Court of Chapecó, in Santa Catarina (Brazil). The request calls on Bolivia, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the competent authorities, to submit all documentation related to the investigation of the accident that occurred on November 28, 2016, in which LaMia aircraft CP-2933 crashed in Cerro Gordo, Colombia. According to the official document sent by Naabol to the Attorney General's Office, the Brazilian lawsuit attributes responsibility to various Bolivian entities, including Naabol, the now defunct AASANA, and the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC). The amount requested is R$1.213 billion, equivalent to approximately Bs 1.537 billion or US$220.7 million at the official exchange rate. Lawyer Néstor Higa explained to EL DEBER that the letter rogatory is a procedure whereby a judge in one country requests another state to provide documentation or carry out a legal procedure. In this case, Brazil is requesting access to all reports prepared after the accident. “The Bolivian state must comply with the request for information. It is a state-to-state procedure,” he said. The accident involving flight 2933 shocked the world of sports. The plane was carrying the Brazilian team Chapecoense to Medellín to play in the final of the South American Cup. Of the 77 people on board, 71 lost their lives. The investigation determined that the main cause was a lack of fuel, an irregularity that had generated previous warnings about LaMia's operations. The aircraft, registered in Bolivia, operated as a charter and had been hired by other renowned teams, such as Atlético Nacional and the Argentine national team. The fact that LaMia continued to operate despite this history raises questions about the aviation regulations in force at the time. Higa insisted that Bolivia is obliged to send the required information: “The formal requirements have been met. The documentation must be sent. This process began in 2017 and is still ongoing.”