Before noon yesterday, Avelino Guillén calmly declared to the press from the vicinity of the Government Palace, as if he still felt part of the ministerial cabinet. He pointed out that the recent state of emergency established in Lima and Callao to fight crime respected the freedoms of citizens. The Home Secretary kept up appearances. By that time he had already submitted his letter of resignation to the president peter castle, who was in an activity in Ancash. He wasn’t willing to wait any longer.
Guillén was the third head of the Interior in six months of government and took a step aside because he confirmed that he does not have the confidence of Castillo. Otherwise, the president would not have taken more than a month and a half to support him with the changes he proposed in the specialized directorates of the National Police.
Instead, the head of state sided with PNP Commander General Javier Gallardo. The plan of Castillo’s protégé was to retire officials with careers and experience to give way to members who had already had rapprochements with the government, more precisely with former presidential secretary Bruno Pacheco.
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For example, the police commander wanted to remove the head of the Directorate against Terrorism (Dircote), Óscar Arriola; the head of the Criminal Investigation Department (Dirincri), Vicente Tiburcio Orbezo; and move the head of the Tumbes Police Region, Luis Miguel Gamarra Chávarry, to the Junín Police Region, the region that is managed by Peru Libre and its owner, the condemned Vladimir Cerrón. Guillen opposed that proposal from the start.
In October of last year, Pacheco received PNP colonels Manuel Rivera López and Nicasio Zapata Suclupe in his office, officers who were promoted to general after that appointment.
As this newspaper has reportedthe Police chief proposed that López move from the Border Division to head the Intelligence Directorate, and that Zapata be transferred from the Money Laundering Division to head the Anti-Corruption Directorate.
The latter would have in his hands all information regarding raids and proceedings coordinated with the Prosecutor’s Office that implicate criminal organizations, such as Los Dinámicos del Centro, which compromises leaders of the ruling party.
In addition, General (r) PNP Javier Bueno told Congress yesterday that five colonels who had visited the Palace during the promotion process were part of the 23 officers recently promoted to general. That is to say, they aligned themselves with Castilian interests.
The now ex-minister Guillén had asked the president for Gallardo’s head earlier this month, and was ignored.
shady moves
“The conclusion is clear: to be promoted to general, you have to visit the Government Palace,” said General Javier Bueno, a former officer who resigned last year after noticing irregularities in the police promotion process.
Before the Defense Commission of the Parliament, he confirmed that there was political interference in the promotion of officers and that, according to what is said among the high command of the institution, there were payments of money in exchange for moving up in rank.
Bueno indicated that General Ángel Toledo Palomino, director of Money Laundering, was retired for having deployed the operations in Lima and Junín against the premises of Peru Libre. These proceedings were coordinated with the prosecutor Richard Rojas and led to the collection of evidence that leads to the handling of illicit money for Pedro Castillo’s presidential campaign.
Opinion of former Ministers of the Interior
Carlos Basombrio
“Guillén is a correct man”
This crisis is three months old. I think it’s a very late resignation. There are decisions that must be made immediately; if not, the situation is getting worse, as has been seen. What is clear is that the absurd support for a general commander of the Police over the Minister of the Interior is the exclusive responsibility of President Castillo. Guillén is a correct man, but he should have been more firm. We Peruvians do not deserve to be misruled in this way.
Ruben Vargas
‘The premier must resign’
It is not possible for a president to take a rogue general with serious allegations of corruption and remove support from the interior minister who was trying to confront them. The president of the Council of Ministers, Mirtha Vásquez, supported Guillén, as she should. The question falls from mature: what will be the position of the premiere? I think she should put her position at her disposal. That is what corresponds to democratic forms. This situation is serious.
