Peruvian Public Prosecutor’s Office formalizes investigation against former president Castillo for alleged corruption

The Public Prosecutor’s Office of Peru informed this Tuesday that it had formalized a preliminary investigation against former President Pedro Castillo (2021-2022), and against two of his former ministers, for alleged acts of corruption in his government.

“The Prosecutor’s Office of the Nation formalized the preparatory investigation against the former President of the Republic, Pedro Castillo, as the alleged perpetrator of the crimes of aggravated criminal organization and aggravated influence peddling, and alleged accomplice to the crime of simple collusion,” the agency reported via Twitter.

The legal action comes five days after Congress approved a report recommending Castillo’s indictment, giving Attorney General Patricia Benavides the green light to initiate the preliminary investigation and criminal proceedings against him.

On the same day, the Parliament approved the final reports that also recommended indicting the former ministers of Transport and Communications, Juan Silva, and Housing, Construction, and Sanitation, Geiner Alvarado, for the alleged crime of criminal organization.

In this sense, the Public Prosecutor’s Office indicated today that it initiated the investigations against Silva “as alleged perpetrator of a criminal organization and simple collusion” and against Alvarado as “alleged perpetrator of the crime of criminal organization”.

Congress approved last Feb. 17 with 59 votes to indict Castillo, who is being held in Barbadillo prison in the district of Ate (east of Lima), serving preliminary detention for 18 months for being investigated for alleged rebellion.

The approved text is based on the constitutional complaint filed by Benavides in October 2022, considering the alleged irregularities found in the works of the Tarata II Bridge in the region of San Martin (north) and other corruption facts.

In this sense, it was recommended to charge Castillo for the crimes against public tranquility, in the modality of aggravated criminal organization due to his alleged condition of leader, and against public administration, offenses committed by public officials in the modality of aggravated influence peddling.

Also, for being an alleged accomplice to the crime against public administration, in the modality of cooperation to the detriment of the State.

According to the constitutional complaint filed by the Attorney General, the Prosecutor General’s Office has “more than 190 evidentiary elements” that would support the thesis that the former president was the alleged leader of a criminal organization during his administration.