A turbulent 2019 start for Peruvian justice

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The beginning of the year for Pedro Chávarry, Peruvian National Prosecutor, was turbulent after he declared against the prosecutors who carry out the Odebrecht investigation

The case of Odebrecht is one of the most important scandals in Latin America. The Brazilian company has intervened in almost the majority of the countries, and as a result of this, multiple events around corruption have been uncovered throughout the continent.

Leer en español: Un inicio de año turbulento para la justicia peruana

The last repercussion of the case occurred in Peru, when Attorney General Pedro Chávarry decided to dismiss the two prosecutors who were supervising the Odebrecht case in the country. The reason was announced at a press conference, where Chávarry said that "the prosecutors in the case constantly violated the principles of the prosecution hierarchy and the reserve of the investigation."

In addition, according to El Tiempo, the attorney general had dismissed the prosecutors when they were preparing to sign an effective collaboration agreement which would speed up the investigations, which had scheduled interrogations around the large cases of corruption.

The prosecutors, José Domingo Pérez and Rafael Vela, carried out the cases against Keiko Fujimori, Alan García, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and Ollanta Humala, splashed by the Odebrecht scandal.

It should be remembered that Chávarry was elected in June 2018 and performed important functions in the Fujimorist era. According to La Tercera, there is the possibility that Chávarry is a protege of Fujimorismo. And that is why he would be preventing the leaders of that movement from being accused or judged.

However, the same media explains that former President Alan García could have been behind the decision of the attorney general to "precisely shake off the prosecutors who have cornered him."

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Solidarity with justice

Before the news, thousands of Peruvians went out indignantly to the streets to protest the declaration of Chávarry, with placards in hand that demanded their resignation. The unrest of the citizens, was also shared by the president of Peru, Martin Vizcarra who, through a press conference, said that "With this action, the National Prosecutor only manages to deeply damage the interests of Peru."

In addition to the first president, the prosecutors who were appointed to replace Vela and Pérez decided to step aside in the form of a protest. Even those involved in the case decided to appeal to the Board of Supreme Prosecutors, as reported by AFP.

The only option is restitution

Faced with pressures, not only from the government but also from the citizenry, Chávarry decided to reinstate the two prosecutors and ensure their permanence in the investigations. For some media such as El Universal, the measure came after knowing that Vizcarra could present a bill that would declare in emergency to the Public Prosecutor's Office.

However, it would seem that Chávarry's statements were against him. According to CNN , despite ratifying the prosecutors "two of the five supreme prosecutors who constitute the highest instance of the Office of the Prosecutor of the Nation, issued a statement calling for the resignation of Chávarry."

On the other hand, for Juan Carlos Valdivia political analyst and in dialogue with Expreso, the decision of Chávarry was endeeble, because Chávarry does not have the leadership to lead the institution. He has not been able to recompose his image and the decision made on December 31 will only end up affecting his already weak management. Chávarry never showed that he would be a different prosecutor of the Nation.

Today can only be saved if in the very short term shows efficiency in the position, with some important accusations.

LatinAmerican Post | Laura Viviana Guevara Muñoz

Translated from "Un inicio de año turbulento para la justicia peruana"