Alberto Fujimori is already enjoying the lifetime pension of S/15,600 granted by Congress since July of this year, according to his lawyer, Elio Riera. Such benefit was the result of the influence of Alianza para el Progreso (APP) on the members of the Legal and Constitutional Office of Congress, an area that decided to declare admissible the legal request made by the defense of the former dictator last April.
This was revealed in a journalistic report by Punto Final, which identified that high-ranking officials within the aforementioned office are linked to Luis Valdez Farías, current general secretary of APP.
According to the investigation, the person signing the letter sent to Fujimori is Haidy Figueroa Valdez, head of the Human Resources Department of Congress. Her professional history links her directly to César Acuña’s party.
Figueroa Valdez was born in Trujillo and is an active member of the Alliance for Progress. Before her position in the legislature, she was deputy manager of Human Resources for the Regional Government of La Libertad.
The current head of the Legal and Constitutional Office of Congress is Jorge Luis Torres Saravia, who was previously Valdez’s main advisor when he was a congressman. In his own documented CV, the official considers the name of one of César Acuña’s most trusted men as his personal reference: Luis Valdez.
In addition, according to the sworn statement of interests, Torres Savaria’s wife and brother work in the Regional Government of La Libertad, where César Acuña is the head.
Torres denies having reached the post because of his friendship with Valdez. “I was invited and I had worked almost three and a half years in Congress. I was with him and also with Congressman García Correa. And I was invited to be part of this new board, to be part of this delegation,” he told Punto Final.
These two officials, whose work histories link them to APP, are joined by José Antonio Rubio, who signed the legal report that ended up benefiting Fujimori. He is the one who replaced Torres Savaria at the beginning of May.
Rubio has worked at the Municipality of Trujillo, in the Property Administration office, where the boss was César Torres Saravia, brother of Jorge Torres Saravia.
APP Secretary General denies having favored Alberto Fujimori
When questioned about this situation, Valdez denied any political influence in the approval of Fujimori’s pardon. “No, not at all. I am not aware of any kind of agreement or conversation even in this regard,” he said.
Regarding Torres Savaria, he said: “Of course. I know him like I know many people. But beyond friendship, I believe in his professional training, in his ability and experience. But I cannot be held responsible for the decisions that he or other people who have worked with me make when there is no longer any kind of connection.”
Meanwhile, Elio Riera announced that his client, the former dictator, the culprit of the murders in Barrios Altos and La Cantuta, already has his life pension in his possession. “Yes. I know that he has already received it as such. At least the first amount that corresponds to the pension. It is the amount of the pension: 15,600 soles. I could not specify if something is deducted. Or if it would be due to a tax issue. I understand not. But it is the amount of the pension,” he indicated.
