Former President Pedro Castillo was determined to destroy the National Prosecutor, Patricia Benavides; the coordinating prosecutor of the Prosecutors against Power Corruption, Marita Barreto; and the head of the Special Team, Colonel PNP Harvey Colchado. To fulfill this purpose, Castillo approved the formation of a spy team whose objective was to obtain information from phone calls, text messages, and emails, among other things, to use against Benavides, Barreto, and Colchado.
According to the Task Force’s investigation, coordinators between Pedro Castillo and the espionage organization was the Spanish businessman Jorge Hernández Fernández and Castillo’s former intelligence adviser, Henry Shimabukuro Guevara. Castillo’s insistence on keeping Shimabukuro in the Government Palace as a supposed “link” to the National Intelligence Directorate (DINI) is now understood. It was a screen.
According to the case report presented by the prosecutor Luis Martínez to request the arrest of the Spanish Jorge HernándezFirst, an attempt was made to designate former Naval Intelligence officer Carlos Barba Daza as head of the DINI, but he refused; so because of his knowledge of security equipment, they commissioned him to search the market, among others, for the Pegasus electronic surveillance systemwhich infiltrates cell phones and computers.
The others involved are Jorge Hernández’s compatriot, the Spanish businessman Sergio Castellanos Martínez and the former heads of the General Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior (Digimin), PNP (r) colonels Jorge Cassanova Cubas and Juan Asmat Bucalo; and the former dean of the Ministry of the Interior, Commander PNP Engelbert Verástegui Díaz. They are all characters very close to former President Castillo.
He Special team He managed to infiltrate an informant in the parallel intelligence circle, who managed to capture key information about the actions of this alleged tax organization. The infiltrator reported that Henry Miyagusuku took former Naval Intelligence officer Carlos Barba Dazato a clandestine interview with former president Castillo, on September 13, 2022. This was stated by the infiltrated agent:
Henry Shimabukuro Guevara
“President Castillo proposes (to Carlos Barba) take over the leadership of the DINI in order to find a way to discredit both the National Prosecutor and Colonel PNP Harvey Colchado Huamaní and to discredit all the information that could hinder the legal actions that it has been facing, as well as those that oppose the government. (This, through) high-tech electronic equipment that has the capacity to obtain information from their cell phones, from their conversations, from their chats, e-mails and others. And that it should do so in the context of a special intelligence operation. To which Carlos Barba Daza refused to accept the proposed position”.
As part of the preparations to undertake espionage actions against Benavides, Barreto and Colchado, Carlos Barba was commissioned to travel to a fair for electronic listening equipment in Panama. To Barba’s surprise, they told him that he would accompany Congressman Luis Cordero Jon Tay, a member of the Congressional Intelligence Commission.
Barba knew that he was an opponent of the government, but they told him that he was a friend of the Spaniard Jorge Hernández.
This is how the informant recounted it: “The ‘Spanish’ communicated with Carlos Barba and told him that Congressman Luis Cordero is interested in attending the electronic equipment fair in Panama and that he would assume the expenses (stay and tickets). Given this comment, Barba expresses his concern and surprise because Cordero is from Fuerza Popular. To which the ‘Spanish’ indicates that it is supporting the government a lot within the Intelligence Commission”.
Fujimori congressman Cordero Jon Tay
In Cordero’s office they informed that for the moment he will not respond. Meanwhile, yesterday the homes of those involved were raided by the Special Team.
On the other hand, at the request of the prosecutor of the special team of Prosecutors against Power Corruption, Luis Martínez Morales, Judge Soledad Barrueto Guerrero ordered the detention of Jorge Hernández Fernández for ten days.
Also ordered the search, unlocking and search and seizure of the properties of the other 5 defendants for this case in order to find incriminating evidence.
THE COVER PLAN
The undercover agent also provided copies of WhatsApp messages that “El Español” exchanged with Carlos Barba, in which interest in the purchase of electronic equipment for illegal espionage is recorded. He recounted it this way:
“(‘El Español’ to Carlos Barba) asks him how much budget he should have to buy technological equipment to carry out good counterintelligence. To which Carlos Barba replied that it would be approximately US$150,000. (…) Given this, ‘El Español’ replies that he is in charge of getting the money and that Carlos Barba is in charge of finding the place to buy it. ‘El Español’ points out that the teams would go to the DIGIMIN. He also requests Carlos Barba for listening and geolocation equipment, among others. (…) Carlos Barba proposes that you attend the electronic equipment fair in Panama”.
The infiltrated agent said that funds from DINI or DIGIMIN were going to be used for the acquisition of electronic equipment, with the approval of President Castillo.
“El Español” reported that he was looking for the equipment, according to one of the WhatsApp messages: “Hello, brother. Check this out, see what you think. It is what the DINI designed. Do you know Freddy Torres? He sells (equipment) to the Navy. I can get the Pegasus. The leg is good. I’ll see if he has the equipment. It has drones for sucking. We already move it. (…) What I want to put together is a pod (that can) interfere with everything. (…) I have the option of making the purchase through DIGIMIN”.
The Prosecutor’s Office against Power Corruption delivered videos proving the meetings of “El Español” with Carlos Barba, confirming that there was an attempt to set up a counterintelligence team at the service of former President Castillo to discredit, defame, destroy the National Prosecutor, Patricia Benavides, the coordinator of the Prosecutor’s Office against Corruption, the superior prosecutor Marita Barreto, and the head of the Special Team, Colonel Harvey Colchado.
Those involved are being investigated for the alleged crimes of organized crime, obstruction of justice, influence peddling and conspiracy and offering for the crime of hit manbecause it is presumed that they intended to physically eliminate the superior prosecutor Marita Barreto and the PNP colonels of the Special Team, Harvey Colchado and Walter Lozano Pajuelo.
