The Prosecutor of the Nation, Patricia Benavides, formalized the preparatory investigation against the former president Pedro Castillo and former Prime Minister Aníbal Torres for the coup perpetrated on December 7. She is now empowered to request preventive detention.
But what is transcendental is that Supreme Judge Juan Carlos Checkley has approved the procedures that Benavides has applied so far to continue with the criminal investigation.
Checkley has endorsed that the Prosecutor’s Office formalize the preparatory investigation for the crimes of rebellion, conspiracy, abuse of authority and disturbance of public peace after verifying that the Plenary of the Congress of the Republic lifted the pre-trial that Castillo enjoyed for being a former president.
Torres, who was an adviser to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers when the events occurred, is credited with rebellion and conspiracy as a co-perpetrator.
LOOK: Chamber confirms preliminary arrest against Pedro Castillo
The castillistas, both congressmen and lawyers, questioned the plenary procedure because, according to their criteria, the Subcommittee on Constitutional Accusations should first evaluate the criminal complaint filed against the former head of state to subsequently pass it on to the Permanent Commission.
However, the magistrate warned that the Subcommittee excluded Castillo Terrones from the tax complaint – which is still in force against former ministers Betssy Chávez, Willy Huerta and Roberto Sánchez – because the Plenary had already complied with withdrawing his immunity.
“The provision of Formalization and continuation of the Preparatory Investigation, has respected both the facts and the legal qualification, contained in the legislative resolutions issued by Congress, as well as the principle of necessary imputation,” reads the resolution to which he agreed. this journal.
On the evidence against both investigated, the Public Ministry has consigned the statements of ex-Castillo ministers who claim to have seen Torres Vásquez together with the now vacated ex-president moments before the latter appeared on national television.
In addition, the statement by the General Commander of the National Police, Raúl Alfaro, was presented as evidence, who pointed out that on December 7, after the ‘self-coup’, he received a phone call from Castillo, who ordered him to arrest prosecutor Benavides and intervene. the Parlament.
The judge ordered that the term of the preparatory investigation be for 8 months.
