Peruvians know it: for 55%, the former president Pedro Castillo is guilty of attempting a coup d’état and/or acts of corruption.
The Ipsos figures shown today Peru21 They reflect that there are more citizens convinced that the former president did commit that crime than those who consider that he is “innocent of all the accusations”, an indicator that reaches 36%.
At the end of November, Castillo was sentenced by the Special Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court to 11 years and 5 months in prison for the crime of conspiracy to rebel. In December 2022 he attempted to dissolve Congress, govern by decree, and obtain broad powers from other public institutions that sustain democracy, but no entity followed his orders.
These days, he is being held in the Barbadillo prison serving his sentence.
At the same time, Castillo is also investigated by the Prosecutor’s Office for acts of corruption. He is involved in the files of the Tarata II cases (where it is reviewed whether there was a corruption network in the Ministry of Transportation that favored companies in exchange for bribes), Petroperú (where it is investigated whether it benefited a company named Heaven Petroleum Operators in million-dollar biodiesel awards), irregular promotions in the Armed Forces. and Police, and another case where it is elucidated whether he set up a network to direct municipal public works in Cajamarca. In addition, there is an investigation for alleged embezzlement of funds.
In the Ipsos survey it is seen that 28% consider that Castillo is guilty of attempting a coup d’état, but also of acts of corruption. Meanwhile, 9% believe that he is not guilty of the coup, but of corruption.
DON’T LET BETSSY GO
On the other hand, Ipsos also asked Peruvians what José Jerí’s government should do with former Prime Minister Betssy Chávez, also convicted of the coup d’état and who has been holed up in the Mexican Embassy in Peru since the beginning of November of this year.
The response was overwhelming: only 16% believe that they should be allowed to travel to Mexico through a safe passage. 38% even think that Peruvian law enforcement should break into the headquarters of the Mexican embassy to arrest her and take her to a regular prison. This indicator reaches 45% in Lima and 50% in the center of the country.
Meanwhile, 35% think that Chávez should stay in the embassy, but not allow him to leave there so that he does not escape.
