between changes, complaints to special agents and changes in the highest command, the Ministry of the Interior has become one of the most sensitive portfolios of the Government of peter castle, who has made one last worrying move, the change of the inspector general of the PNP and the assignment of Raúl Enrique Alfaro as head of the National Police of Peru.
Given this controversy, it is worth asking, what are the intentions of the president in making such important movements as these in the midst of a complaint against Harvey Colchado, head of the PNP Special Team that carried out the intervention towards the Government Palace. To clarify the situation, La República consulted former Interior Minister Raúl Vargas.
—What would Pedro Castillo be looking for with the changes made this Saturday 27?
—Intimidating and threatening Colonel Colchado and the police officers who are investigating what the Prosecutor’s Office has called a criminal organization that acts from power.
Try to capture the police command for the purposes of that criminal structure that, according to the authorities, would be headed by the President of the Republic. And, of course, he is finally executing, confirming the threats that her sister-in-law-daughter made at the time, when she was arrested by Colonel Colchado. Let’s remember that Yenifer Paredes dared to threaten retirement passes.
Now, the president is confirming that these threats were a forewarned war and unfortunately what the president is doing, in his capacity as supreme head of the Armed Forces and the National Police, is a flagrant, treacherous act of abuse of power. The president is in a position to make the changes in the police command, but he cannot do it to try to evade his responsibility.
—Among these changes, the Inspectorate draws attention, which is the instance that should evaluate the complaint against Harvey Colchado. What would influence that who was previously an inspector now becomes the head of the PNP?
—The information I have is that General Vera Llerena, the previous commanding general, had declared, had shown his discomfort, precisely because of that complaint and because of the way that complaint was being processed within the National Police.
The result is that General Vera has now retired and the person who was carrying out this investigation from the General Inspectorate against Colonel Colchado is now the new commanding general.
But it should also be pointed out, and I also have this information from a direct source, that this complaint was submitted to the Inspectorate, a fabricated complaint against Diviac and against Colonel Colchado, with the intention of tarnishing Diviac’s name, with the intention of discrediting the team and Colchado.
It is a very critical situation, quite difficult, and this shows that there is a sector of bad police officers who have taken the wrong path. We have been warned that a black campaign is coming against Diviac and Colonel Colchado.
—Why would there be this persecution against the colonel? Why so much fear against Harvey Colchado?
—It is logical that it should be so. I have always maintained that there is no clearer or more difficult enemy for a corrupt politician than an honest police officer.
—Are you surprised by the appointment of Enrique Alfaro as head of the PNP? Mariano González described him as an honest policeman.
—Regarding General Alfaro, the only way left for him to vindicate the Police is to issue a statement supporting the four colonels who are investigating an alleged criminal organization that operates from the Government Palace.
If the current general commander is an institutionalist who is going to defend the privileges of the National Police, what corresponds is his pronouncement immediately.
—How exposed are the Police and the Diviac to these changes?
—What they want is to destroy the Special Team because they know that this team is in charge of corroborating the information that effective collaborators are providing, that is an extremely delicate job. They don’t want that to happen.
They are especially afraid of these policemen who we now see are doing it in a very professional manner. They want to avoid, at all costs, the corroboration of the information that effective collaborators are providing.
—Would we be talking about a possible obstruction of investigations with these complaints?
“Surely that’s what they’re doing.” First try to weaken the Special Team with announcements of evaluations, with announcements of new members. Moreover, let us remember that the Minister of the Interior went in person to request the Public Ministry to modify the composition of the Special Team.
There has always been a manifest interest in wanting to weaken, in wanting to destroy with the story of strengthening.
—How do you perceive Willy Huerta’s management in all these changes?
—The minister has become one more squire of the President of the Republic, Mr. Huerta is not Minister of the Interior, he is a squire of the President.
Insecurity in Peru is overwhelmed, absolutely overwhelmed; illegal miners are attacking police stations; criminals are doing their thing, they are murdering by cell phone; extortions are increasingly rampant. There is no interior minister, there is a squire to the president.
