Peru’s prosecutor’s office has formally requested 34 years in prison for former President Pedro Castillo, who was dramatically removed from office and arrested after his attempt to dissolve Congress in late 2022.
On January 12, the public prosecution office wrote on social media that it sought the jail term for “crimes of rebellion, abuse of authority, and serious disturbance of public peace.” In the request presented to the court, Castillo is accused of “carrying out a coup d’etat.”
Castillo, a former teacher from rural Peru, elected in 2012, was the first leader of the Andean nation with no ties to the elites and was hailed as the country’s first poor president. Once he took up the position, the leftist leader was locked in a power struggle with the opposition-led Congress and was accused by the attorney general of leading a criminal organization involving his family and allies that handed out public contracts for money.
Before his removal in December 2022, Castillo said the plan to “temporarily” dissolve Congress was to “reestablish the rule of law and democracy” in the country. However, opposition politicians said the decision went against Peru’s constitution, and Congress voted overwhelmingly to remove him from the country’s top position.
Castillo has argued that he was the victim of a political conspiracy between the right-wing opposition and the attorney general.
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