The leader of the Fuerza Popular party, Keiko Fujimori, asked the Peruvian Congress this Saturday to take “drastic measures” against President Pedro Castillo after the publication of the transcript of an audio in which a businessman links the environment closest to the ruler with acts of corruption.
“I think the information that has been released is very serious,” Fujimori told local media before pointing out that she hopes “there will be an in-depth investigation” of that complaint, because “there is more and more evidence that involves the closest circle to the president”.
The opposition leader, who was defeated by Castillo in last year’s elections, considered that these complaints are “an opportunity” for the political groups that rejected Castillo’s dismissal, already raised twice by the political opposition in Congress, take “drastic measures”.
“I think that time has come,” she remarked before reiterating that she has indicated that Castillo “should resign” and that if that does not happen, Congress “also has the constitutional mechanisms to make decisions” and remove him.
THE ACCUSATIONS
Local media released a transcript this Friday in which businessman Zamir Villaverde, who is in prison while being investigated for corruption, allegedly offers former Transport Minister Juan Silva a bribe to obtain the tender for the construction of a bridge.
Villaverde, who asked to be a collaborator in the tax investigation in this case, has implicated President Castillo in an alleged corruption plot in the current Executive, although without having presented evidence of his claims so far.
Castillo is being investigated in a preliminary manner for several complaints and the attorney general, Pablo Sánchez, ordered last Sunday to expand those investigations for the alleged commission of the crimes of criminal organization, influence peddling and aggravated collusion.
The president’s lawyer, Benji Espinoza, requested on Tuesday that the “absolute nullity” of that investigation be declared and announced that, if his request is not accepted, she will raise a “protection of rights”, since she considers that the ruler enjoys immunity absolute while in office.
This Friday an audio was also broadcast on social networks in which the president of Congress, the opposition María del Carmen Alva, assured last year, when the ruler had only been in office for two months, that Castillo was going to be dismissed and the legislators They would stay at their posts.
“We are going to take out only the president,” Alva said in the audio, whose authenticity was confirmed by the president of the Legislature herself at a press conference in which she denounced that she had been the victim of a “chuponeo” (telephone interception).
In the opinion of the parliamentary leader, these statements were intentionally disseminated to hide the publication of the transcript of the alleged Villaverde audio.
Alva assured that “there was no plan” to remove Castillo and that she only explained that the Peruvian Constitution indicates that the president can be replaced by his vice president and, if both are impeded, the position is assumed by the president of Congress, who must immediately call elections.
Despite this, she remarked that “if for Castillo to have to leave” “everyone” has to leave, that will happen.
MARCH AGAINST CASTLE
In the midst of this political crisis, a group of opposition organizations, parties and movements have called for a march to protest this Saturday against Castillo in downtown Lima.
The leader of the far-right Popular Renovation party, Rafael López Aliaga, assured in a video in which she called the march that “the time has come to stop this misrule” and also called for the president’s resignation.
“Either you resign for good or we are going to go to the Congress of the Republic with peaceful means to ask for your vacancy (removal) and demand a constitutional commission that will be another route for you to really leave us in peace and a country that deserves to believe and to be a world power,” she said.