The investigations that shake Castillo's mandate 6:38
(CNN Spanish) -
The former secretary of the Government Palace of Peru, Bruno Pacheco, surrendered to the authorities after remaining a fugitive for more than 100 days, the Attorney General Patricia Benavides reported this Tuesday at a press conference.
“When I assumed the position of Prosecutor of the Nation, we said that nothing will prevent us from confronting the powerful and here we are firm and without fear, ready to give everything to eradicate this scourge from our country.
We Peruvians deserve a country free of corruption, we deserve a country of honest officials who represent the law, who serve the State and do not use it,” said Benavides.
CNN is trying to contact Pacheco's defense.
In statements to local media in May of this year, he said that he was a "politically persecuted" and claimed to be innocent.
The fifth preliminary investigation against President Pedro Castillo is opened in Peru
The former official, who resigned in November 2021, is being investigated by the Prosecutor's Office for suspicion of being part of a criminal organization, allegedly led by President Pedro Castillo, to illegally award public works tenders.
Castillo has denied this tax theory and said he was "satisfied" after answering questions from the institution last month.
Pacheco is also being investigated for the alleged commission of the crime of "aggravated influence peddling" in the case of the alleged pressure exerted on the general commanders of the Armed Forces to irregularly promote several soldiers from Castillo's close circle.
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His whereabouts were unknown since February 17, according to an investigation by the TV program Panorama.
On April 12, the Judiciary had imposed on Pacheco a preventive detention measure for 36 months for the case of the bidding for a bridge, although a month later the Second Criminal Court of Appeals of the Superior Court of Justice of Lima reduced it to 24. The Prosecutor's Office attributes the alleged commission of the crimes of influence peddling and criminal organization to him.
The tax thesis indicates that, in the alleged direction of works tendered by the Ministry of Transport and Communications, a businessman would have received undue benefits and would also have granted benefits to two of Castillo's nephews as consideration for the efforts made.
President Castillo spoke on Tuesday about the delivery of Pacheco.
“For my government it is satisfactory that Mr. Bruno Pacheco has made himself available to justice.
That shows the falsehood about the supposed protection of the Executive.
We hope the truth prevails,” he wrote on Twitter.
Jimena de La Quintana contributed to this report.
peter castle