The man who denies his voice and who goes so far as to say that Carlos Álvarez would have imitated him, clings to his position amid a series of accusations against him. Juan José Santiváñez said on Tuesday morning that he does not intend to leave the Ministry of the Interior: “I am a man of challenges, I don’t back down, I don’t give up.”
Shortly before, the president of the council of ministers, Gustavo Adrianzén gave him his support.
In an interview with the newspaper El Comercio, Santiváñez did not hesitate to highlight the achievements of his administration and to blame the press for not reporting on these issues. This is not the first time he has done so: “The work we have been doing is being ignored. From the extortion and kidnapping crime department we have been working with local governments. We have been encouraging complaints since I took over the administration. Unfortunately, this work is not reported because it is not interesting for a headline.”
Asked specifically about a possible resignation, he said: “I am a man of challenges, I do not back down, I do not give up. I have goals and my main objective is to give peace of mind to the country until the President of the Republic decides that someone else can do the job better than me.
Regarding the audio where he is heard saying that in order to be appointed minister, President Dina Boluarte asked him to deactivate Diviac, Santiváñez again denied everything: “I want to say that I never had any conversation with the president regarding the fate of Diviac, or any organic unit. Rather, I take the opportunity to reiterate that these audios do not contain my voice. They are adulterated audios, which have been manipulated and, despite the fact that my defense has requested that the source or matrix of the recording be exposed, to this day it has not been done. Only the lawyer of the [coronel PNP Junior Izquierdo]coming out through all the media, making a circus out of this topic when in reality they are not my audios. It is not my voice and that has been something that has been noticed even by listening to it.
Santiváñez said that the alleged witness is an officer with a questionable track record who has been accused of various things. “What I see is that there is a clear intention to question the administration because of the fear that exists regarding the actions that are being taken within the Police,” he stressed.
