A judicial provision for an alleged act of corruption, advanced the pass to retirement of Lieutenant PNP Víctor Zanabria Angulo. The incident generated a vacuum in the position of general commander of the National Police, and has stimulated a struggle among six general lieutenants to replace Zanabria.
The number two of the police command, the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General PNP Óscar Arriola Delgado, should replace Víctor Zanabria, a version that circulates strongly on the social networks of the police community. It does not seem that it will be so easy.
In accordance with Legislative Decree 1149, the career and situation of the National Police personnel, President Dina Boluarte must choose among the lieutenants that make up the police command. There are six officers who hold this degree.
In addition to the aforementioned Oscar Arriola, he is followed by the Inspector General of the PNP, Lieutenant General Jhonny Véliz Noriega, and the head of the Police Operations Command, Lieutenant General Carlos Céspedes Muñoz. They are numbers two, three and four of the institution.
You can see: Victor Zanabria: Judicial Branch approves suspension of 18 months against the general commander of the PNP
Speech, promotion
According to the police sources consulted, among the candidates with the greatest possibilities to occupy the position of Víctor Zanabria, the deputy generals Óscar Arriola, number two, and Carlos Céspedes, number four are counted.
Lieutenant Generals Arriola and Céspedes come from the missing Investigation Police of Peru (PIP) or Code 2. Arriola belongs to the 1989 Integration Promotion, as well as the Interior Minister, General PNP (R) Carlos Malaver Odias. While Céspedes is from the Los Heraldos 1988 promotion as Inspector General Johnny Véliz.
But the head of state can also choose the PNP General Commander among the other three general PNPs of the PNP less in the command line, as did former president Francisco Sagastegui, in 2020. These are: the head of the National Directorate of Criminal Investigation (Dinincri), Lieutenant General PNP Zenón Loayza Díaz; the head of the Directorate of Order and Security, Lieutenant General PNP Luis Gamarra Chávarry; and the head of the General Secretariat of the National Police, Lieutenant General PNP Freddy López Mendoza.
General Zenón Loayza also belongs to the promotion of Minister Carlos Malaver and Oscar Arriola, while Lieutenant General Luis Gamarra comes from the 1989 promotion, but from the former republican guide. While Lieutenant General Freddy López Mendoza, who occupies the seventh place in the ranks, is the only one in the 1990 promotion.
When an armed forces officer or the National Police occupies a position in the High Command, he usually tips his preferences towards promotional colleagues in the designation of confidence positions. Therefore, a greater option to assume the general command of the National Police is the promotion fellow Minister of the Interior, Carlos Malaver.
In this case it would be Lieutenant General Oscar Arriola (number two) and the oldest in the command line. The last word is the head of state.
You can see: Arequipa: General Víctor Zanabria accuses keeping S/ 17,600
Why did he go to Retiro Zanabria?
On September 12, Judge Janet Lastra Ramírez, of the Sixth Court of Preparatory Investigation for Corruption cases of Arequipa officials, ordered the suspension of Víctor Zanabria as general commander of the PNP for a period of 18 months.
The decision of Judge Janet Lastra responded to a request from the Prosecutor’s Office in Crimes of Corruption of Arequipa, who investigates Víctor Zanabia for the alleged crimes of peculation, aggravated collusion and abuse of authority.
The imputation indicates that in 2020, when Víctor Zanabria served as head of the Arequipa police region, forced subordinates under their orders to carry out masonry work, without any documentation that justified said activity.
Given the new legal situation of Víctor Zanabria, on September 15, the National Police Human Resources Directorate passed it to the Retirement “for the Causal of Time Service Real and Effective and during that period will not assume charge.”
Then, on the same day, the private secretary of the General Command, Colonel PNP Edward Vidal Jiménez, informed the Interior Minister, Carlos Malaver Odias, about the cessation in the position of Víctor Zanabria.
He also requested that President Boluarte accounts for the fact to have the replacement of Zanabria. But, it seems that President Boluarte does not hurry to replace Víctor Zanabria because he continues to attend his office and continues in office.
According to the police sources consulted, to overcome the judicial suspension in the position, the measure would only be executed on September 30 of this year. The reason? That day Víctor Zanabria will turn 40 years of services and would no longer be in office.
What the government would seek is that Víctor Zanabria does not go to retirement due to the cause of the judicial mandate but for having reached the retirement age. Zanabria’s replacement would be known only between September 30 and October 1.
The Cerrón factor
The police sources indicated that the leader of Peru Libre, Vladimir Cerrón, would exert pressure so that Lieutenant General Oscar Arriola Delgado does not assume the general command of the National Police. In 2024, Arriola organized a gigantic operation to locate and capture Cerrón, including an incursion into the Mikonos condominium, in the Asia spa. In that year, Arriola acted as Chief of the General Staff of the PNP
Lieutenant General Oscar Arriola managed to collect information on Vladimir Cerrón’s concealment mechanisms. He came to say that by a filtration, Cerrón came to find out about the operation and evade.
In 2024, Arriola became Chief of Staff of the National Police. According to the sources, if appointed general commander
From the PNP, Arriola could reactivate and redouble the search devices of the leader of Peru Libre.
If Cerrón manages to impose his influences on the Government Palace, the other option would be Lieutenant General PNP Carlos Céspedes Muñoz, number four of the police command. The Céspedes profile fits the requirement of the Executive Power to face crime.
Céspedes has chief of the Anti -Draft Division (DIVISE), the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (Dirincri) and the Police Region of Freedom. But if Céspedes assumes, the Lieutenant Generals Oscar Arriola and Johnny Véliz would have to go to retirement.
Project with its own name for Zanabria
● Sources from the Ministry of Interior reported that two weeks before the judicial suspension of Víctor Zanabria was known
As general commander of the National Police, his legal advisors prepared a feasibility report to favor it
with a bill that is broad to 42 years of service time in the degree, as a requirement to go to retirement. The 30 of
September, Zanabria will turn 40 years of services
In the PNP.
● The idea of the project is that Lieutenant General Víctor Zanabria continue as a general commander at least the year 2025.
● Other sources indicated that Lieutenant General Oscar Arriola must replace Zanabria, because it is number two of the command
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