Three former officials from President Martín Vizcarra's circle of trust arrested in Peru

Peruvian President Martín Vizcarra in a file image.GUADALUPE PARDO / Reuters

The police specialized in complex crimes have detained, for seven days, the three former officials of the Government Palace closest to the Peruvian president, Martín Vizcarra, who left their posts a couple of weeks ago.

The detainees are being investigated for the allegedly irregular hiring - for almost $ 50,000 - of Richard Cisneros, a musical composer friend of the head of state.

The prosecutor who requested the measure argued that there is a risk of flight and obstruction of the investigations.

The president rejected the court decision.

“We disagree because a person should be deprived of liberty only when he has a conviction.

Only in exceptional cases should this option provided by the norm be used, when a person is going to escape or it is a serious crime, but in this investigation we did not find proportionality for the decision that has been taken, ”Vizcarra said on television state.

The president was saved from being removed by Congress on September 18.

The process began after a congressman released, with the authorization of the Legislative Chief, three clandestinely recorded conversations referring to this case, now known as "the audios of the scandal."

Several benches in Parliament hoped to remove him from office for "permanent moral incapacity."

In one of the dialogues, recorded in June, the president discussed with those now detained about what they should do with the record of visits by Cisneros to the Government Palace, and they agreed on the version that they would give to the Public Ministry and the commission. Parliament researcher.

The first president participated in the dialogue;

the Secretary General of the Presidency, Miriam Morales;

Vizcarra's personal assistant, Karem Roca;

and the personal communication advisor, Óscar Vásquez.

The three former senior officials who made up the president's circle of trust have been detained this Friday.

"We are sure that when the Judicial Power or the Public Ministry concludes the investigation they will determine that there is no reason for sanction, however the honors will be stained, because (the people) have been taken from the family," Vizcarra added during an activity which was only covered by the state channel.

The preliminary prison order additionally covers six other officials of the Ministry of Culture who had some responsibility in the hiring of Cisneros, between 2017 -during the government of Pedro Pablo Kuczynski- and 2018, with Vizcarra.

The composer was hired to give "motivational" talks to the Culture staff, but according to the Comptroller, he did not comply with all the services.

The investigation by the prosecution determined that there are acts of "criminal connotation" that involve the head of state and the former minister of Culture Patricia Balbuena.

The president ends his term on July 28 of next year and, after that date, could face charges for this investigation.

The television program

revealed on September 20 that more than 27,000 emails and records of visits to the Government Palace were deleted in May, a month before a diligence of this case, which began as a complaint in a broadcast on the showbiz.

The computer experts of the Public Ministry managed to recover several messages that requested authorization for the artist to enter the Executive Office.

Despite this attempt to hide information, the president affirmed this Friday that officials have collaborated with the Public Ministry.

“We have already given all the information on our part, as the Executive Branch.

Those who are under investigation - who have had a relationship with the Executive - have made themselves available, have gone as many times as they have been required, have given all the information, have raided their homes, "added the president.

Minutes after Vizcarra's statements, the president of the Council of Ministers, Walter Martos, repeated with the same vein to the consultations on the elimination of emails.

“We believe that there should be proportionality and not excesses.

When (the justice system) reaches the conclusions we will see what things are true and what things are assumptions.

As long as there is no sentence, all people have the right to innocence, "said the prime minister.