Congress members visit businessman jailed in Bolivia

Mr Smith, a New Jersey congressman, said on Friday: "Jacob’s health has steadily deteriorated during this unjustified captivity.

“The stress of his confinement and his hunger strike have taken their toll on his health since I saw him in June.”

Mr Ostreicher has claimed that corrupt officials have kept him in jail so they could sell 18,000 metric tons of rice that was confiscated in exchange for promises of release. Local authorities have subsequently arrested seven people, including officials, for extortion.

In response, Mr Smith said: “The arrests of a group of people connected to his ordeal have given us hope that recent progress can lead to his release.”