Pedro Castillo Terrones, proposed the nationalization of natural resources. That aroused the fear of some investors like Macusani Yellowcake. This company has concessions in Carabaya where lithium and uranium reserves were found.
In September 2021, Ulises Solís, general manager of Macusani, turned to Segundo Alejandro Sánchez Sánchez, owner of the house in Sarratea, where the head of state dispatched. At the coordination meetings were Gian Marco Castillo Gomez, Pedro Castillo’s nephew. Thanks to the efforts of both, Solís met Pedro Castillo. The behind the scenes are detailed in the investigations of the Public Ministry.
According to the tax document, at the meeting, the businessmen sought to obtain some procedure related to the mining concessions.
Ulises Solis version
The Republic contacted Ulises Solís. He accepted that he did meet with the nephew of Pedro Castillo and Segundo Sánchez. “That’s true. I have no reason to deny it. I personally looked for how to reach the President of the Republic. (…) They gave me the telephone number of Mr. Segundo Sánchez (owner of the house in Sarratea). I didn’t even know him. I call it. He listened to me. (…) they came to my office at night. (…) He came with one of President Pedro Castillo’s nephews,” Solís said in communication with this medium.
Solis said he met Castillo’s nephew there. “The next day (September 16, 2021), Mr. Sánchez calls me back and tells me that the president would receive me at four in the afternoon,” he said. According to Solís, the meeting took place at the Government Palace.
Then Pedro Castillo traveled to a meeting in the United States to attend the United Nations Assembly. He also met with Macusani Yellowcake investors.
According to report No. 068-2022, the meeting between Castillo and the investors took place in New York. The Ulises Solís company and its foreign partners Simón Clarke and Mike Klohber attended. Castillo promised them that lithium would not be nationalized. Solís accepted that the meetings with the president were not part of the regular driver, but that “each one seeks how to obtain the peace of mind to continue making investments.” For the businessman what he did is not lobby, but “business management”.
Ulises Solís admitted that due to the efforts made by Segundo Sánchez, he offered to sell plywood houses for mining camps. “You had to thank him. Who knew at the time that he was going to be the most questioned now. (…) When he offered me these prefabricated houses, I told him that this was not the time. But later when we go live you will be number one,” he noted.
Solís accepted that they were wrong for appealing to a non-regular path to reach the president. “Suddenly we saw the wrong path. Suddenly we knocked on the door of the least indicated person, but we obtained the peace of mind to continue investing in the country”, he assured.
He considered that the paths to which they appealed allowed them to achieve their business objective. “We have managed to get him to guarantee us that he was not going to nationalize or expropriate” .❖
APPROACH
Thomas Ancco
lawyer
It was not a formal date
Everything that is not supported by formal procedures would constitute a lobby that deals with corruption.
All people can appeal to the right of petition. That is protected in the constitution. If someone was interested in speaking with the president, they could either appeal to this legal argument, or appeal to requests for a personal audience. Everything else could just as well fit in the lobby. It is not legal. It is not formal. It is not ethical to appeal to other extra ways for business purposes. In criminal law it could well constitute influence peddling.
