The president of Peru, Pedro Castillo, He flatly rejected this Thursday the accusations of corruption that the political opposition foist on his governmentdefended his management and warned that he will no longer be able to turn the other cheek in the face of attacks, in a message to the country that he made this afternoon, upon completing his first year in office, during which he overcame two impeachment attempts with effort.
“They claim the vacancy (removal) not for lack of results or for non-existent accusations, but for private interests and for avoiding the changes that my government is determined to carry out,” Castillo told Congress, dominated by the three “hard” right-wing parties. ”: Popular Force (FP), Avanza País and Popular Renewal (RP).
“The media spread lies and false news, they will get tired of looking for evidence because they will not find it”added the president, a 52-year-old rural teacher and union leader from Cajamarca, who appeared on the political scene as an independent but came to government at the hands of the Marxist-Leninist Peru Libre party, which he later resigned from.
“The media spread lies and false news, they will get tired of looking for evidence because they will not find it”peter castle
The president celebrates this Thursday, in coincidence with the 201 anniversary of the independence of Peru, the first of his five years in office with a record of five tax investigations for alleged corruption and the persistent siege of Congress, which seeks his resignation.
His government’s situation, and his personal situation, are tenuous. In the heat of the complaints and the wear and tear of governing, the president’s popularity is around 20%.
Castillo rejected accusations, defended his management and warned that he will no longer turn the other cheek
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“The fear and the fear of the great political and economic groups of the great changes that the country needs is inexplicable,” Castillo defended himself before the congressmen, several of whom left the room in protest.
“This year I have received a blow on the cheek, but in this second year I am not going to turn the other cheek, but rather I am going to extend my hand to work to improve this dramatically unequal country,” warned the president. At that moment, a female voice yelled “corrupt” at him.
At this point in the two-hour message, which was broadcast live on local media, Castillo admitted some errors in the appointments of officials in his government.
✅ The Executive will reassess existing social programs and benefits, in addition to creating new programs in the face of growing social demand after the COVID-19 pandemic.#MessageToTheNation#AlwaysWithThePeople pic.twitter.com/5eX4lKAeSM
– Pedro Castillo Terrones (@PedroCastilloTe) July 28, 2022
In these first twelve months, several cabinet members had to resign, some due to long-standing political ties and others due to controversial statements that were promoted by the press.
“I recognize the work that is done from the public ministry and the Judiciary,” said. “I submit to the Justice to clarify with due process the crimes that are imputed to me and not before the media justice,” she added.
“We are going to make every effort to restore confidence in the justice system. Insults and ridicule will not make me go back, on the contrary, they will strengthen me,” he assured. The phrase raised the applause of the congressmen who remained in the room.
The recent decision of the nation’s prosecutor, Patricia Benavides, to open a new investigation for “obstruction of justice” by protecting three fugitive members of her entourage has fueled the embers for a third impeachment request in 12 months.
Total, There are five ongoing investigations that point to the president, four are for cases that occurred in his government.
In these first twelve months, several cabinet members had to resign, some due to long-standing political ties and others due to controversial statements that were promoted by the press.
Among other things, the cases contemplate an alleged influence peddling in the purchase of fuel by the state-owned Petroperú in 2021 and the alleged obstruction of justice in the dismissal of an Interior Minister.
He is also accused of influence peddling in a file on military promotions; of corruption and aggravated collusion in a public works project; and, finally, of plagiarism in his university thesis, but the president emphatically denies all charges.
The prosecution, which is autonomous and promotes the mega-investigation of the Odebrecht case that affected four other Peruvian presidents, considers that there are indications that Castillo heads “a criminal organization” that involves his political and family environment.
Nevertheless, The Public Ministry cannot take the president to court because he has immunity until the end of his term in 2026.
On Tuesday, Castillo’s former secretary, Bruno Pacheco, who spent more than 100 days on the run on corruption charges, turned himself in to authorities in another blow to the president’s image.
“For my government it is satisfactory that Mr. Bruno Pacheco has made himself available to justice; that shows the falsehood about the supposed protection of the Executive; we hope that the truth prevails,” Castillo said on his Twitter account when the news broke. .
Castillo unexpectedly won the elections at the head of a small Marxist-Leninist party with 50.12% of the vote, in a close runoff against right-wing Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000).
