The fifth preliminary investigation against President Pedro Castillo is opened in Peru

( Spanish) — The prosecutor of the Nation of Peru, Patricia Benavides, reopened this Friday a preliminary investigation against the president, Pedro Castillo, for crimes against the public administration and influence peddling.

The object of the investigation is an alleged intervention in the purchase of biodiesel in favor of a private company. The president accumulates five tax investigations against him.

The Public Ministry reported on the decision this Friday on its Twitter account. The institution explained that Benavides ordered to rescind a provision from January of this year that suspended the initiation of acts of preliminary investigation into Castillo until he completes his mandate.

is contacting Benji Espinoza, the president’s attorney, for comment.

When the Prosecutor’s Office had announced the opening of the investigation on January 4, it clarified that the beginning of the investigative acts would be suspended until the president finished his mandate since he enjoys “absolute immunity.”

In December 2021, Castillo received representatives from the Prosecutor’s Office and responded to the case as a witness. At that time he posted on his Twitter account: “We show our faces, we do not flee the country, much less take refuge in an embassy; We have a clear conscience, we act in accordance with the law and the commitments assumed with the people”.

Complaint for cover-up against Castillo

This Thursday, the same prosecutor had ordered the initiation of an investigation against Pedro Castillo for the alleged crime against the administration of justice for personal concealment. The Public Ministry reported that the decision is due to recent events related to changes in the Ministry of the Interior.

The defense of President Castillo presented this Thursday afternoon a request for annulment of that fiscal provision.

“The big problem that this investigation has is that it is being born on the basis of the affectation of due process, the right to defense and the principle of criminal procedural legality because the prosecution has taken a statement and has carried out acts of investigation to search for information. , without notifying the defense, that is, the prosecution has created a space in which it carries out investigative acts unilaterally without summoning the defense so that it can control that information and participate in the proceedings,” Benji Espinoza, a lawyer for the President Castle.

Espinoza explained that the investigation open to the president is for 60 days and that it contemplates the declaration of Pedro Castillo, whose date has not yet been established.

Florencia Trucco and Jimena De la Quintana collaborated on this report.