Corruption in Peru: court hearing against Castillo’s wife rescheduled

At the request of Lilia Paredes’ defense, the Peruvian Judiciary rescheduled Thursday’s (September 29) hearing where it was scheduled to evaluate the prosecutor’s request for 36 months of an impediment to leaving the country against the first lady, investigated for the alleged crimes of a criminal organization and aggravated collusion to the detriment of the State.

Benji Espinoza, Paredes’ lawyer, asked to reschedule the session, arguing that she is in Europe on a trip planned in advance. Virtually the wife of communist Pedro Castillo supported the request.

The prosecution objected. Finally, the judge summoned for a new hearing on Monday, October 10 at 10 AM.

COORDINATOR OF THE CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION

The Special Team of Prosecutors against Corruption of Power initiated the preliminary investigation against the first lady in August for allegedly “making viable, financing and granting celerity to public works that were irregularly tendered with the knowledge and approval of her husband.

According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office hypothesis, the role of Lilia Paredes in the alleged criminal organization that was entrenched in the highest levels of the Government would have been as “coordinator” in works tendered in the Municipality of Anguía, located in the province of Cajamarca, the birthplace of Paredes and Pedro Castillo.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office considers that Lilia Paredes would have been the one who informed the head of State of the projects that had been negotiated and he, in coordination with the then Minister of Housing, Geiner Alvarado -recently censured by Congress- included them in emergency decrees to guarantee their viability, and thus favor the front companies of the Anggi and Hugo Espino brothers.

The brothers Hugo and Anggi Espino are under investigation for alleged influence peddling after winning millionaire bids with the State in Cajatambo (Lima provinces) and Anguía (Cajamarca).

FAMILY MEMBERS UNDER INVESTIGATION

The Special Team of Prosecutors against Corruption of Power requests the same restriction for Walter and David Paredes Navarro, brothers of Castillo’s wife, as well as for the businessman Hugo Espino, who accepted the sincere confession and is already giving his testimony about the alleged criminal organization allegedly led by the head of State.

On the other hand, Yenifer Paredes, Pedro Castillo’s sister-in-law and “putative daughter” – he raised her as such since she was a child – is serving 30 months of preventive detention in the middle of the investigations for the alleged crime of criminal organization.

According to the Attorney General’s Office, Yenifer Paredes played the role of “lobbyist” in this alleged criminal network.

Paredes will continue to be held in the Women’s Annex Prison of Chorrillos after the Superior Court of Justice of Lima ratified the resolution that declared the habeas corpus filed by her legal defense inadmissible.

Through file No. 06286-2022-0-1801-JR-DC-02, the Second Permanent Constitutional Court rejected the appeal filed by Marco Riveros, lawyer of Yenifer Paredes, to annul the preventive detention order imposed by Judge Jhonny Gómez of the Third Preparatory Investigation Court.

With information from Gaceta