The plenary of Congress of Peru approved this Friday the final report of a constitutional complaint presented by the prosecution against the former president Pedro Castillo for alleged corruption during his government (2021-2022).
(Read here: Editorial of the Peruvian newspaper ‘El Comercio’ attacks President Petro)
With 59 votes in favor, 23 against, and 3 abstentions, the measure was approved. Now what follows is that the complaint will return to the Prosecutor’s Office to present a formal accusation before the Judiciary.
The parliamentary debate started shortly after 10 am and lasted for more than three hours.
The report proposes to accuse Castle of allegedly leading a criminal organization to obtain illicit benefits from fraudulent public works bids.
The complaint accuses the ex-president, who is serving preventive detention for his failed self-coup in December, of the alleged commission of crimes against public peace, in the form of aggravated criminal organization for his alleged status as leader, and against the public administration, in the modality of aggravated influence peddling, as well as an alleged accomplice of the crime against the public administration in the collusion modality.
The report also recommends that Juan Silva and Geiner Alvaradoas former Ministers of Transport and Communications, and of Housing, Construction and Sanitation, respectively, are charged for the alleged commission of the crime against public peace in the form of criminal organization.
The accusation against Silva and Alvarado will be decided in a separate vote.
Panoramic view of the Congress of Peru.
At the beginning of the parliamentary session, the president of the CongressJosé Williams, invited the three defendants and their lawyers to enter the digital platform to exercise their right to defense.
Background
The complaint required the favorable vote of half plus one of the number of deputies that make up the Peruvian chamber (130), without the participation of the members of the Permanent Commissionwhich last week approved the report on the constitutional complaint filed last November by the Prosecutor of the Nation (general), Patricia Benavides, against the former president and his former ministers.
The complaint responds to alleged irregularities found in the works of the Tarata II Bridge, in the northern department of San Martín, and in other alleged cases of corruption related to the public company Petroperú and the Ministry of Housing.
The report was supported before the plenary session of Congress by Congressman Diego Bazán, from the right-wing Avanza País party, as well as by the president of the Subcommittee on Constitutional Accusations (SAC), Lady Camones.
Castillo complies with a judicial order of 18 months of preventive detention issued after his attempt failed coupwhich led Congress to dismiss him on December 7 for “permanent moral incapacity” and appoint his vice president, Dina Boluarte, as his replacement by constitutional succession.
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