They raid the house of former Peruvian Prime Minister Betssy Chávez for her alleged participation in the self-coup of Pedro Castillo

Prosecutors and police also entered the offices of at least 18 deputies. They also investigate possible crimes of corruption.

Peruvian justice raided this Friday the house of the former prime minister and current congresswoman Betssy Chávez for her alleged participation in the self-coup of Pedro Castillo.

A team of prosecutors and police entered Chávez’s home and the offices of at least 18 congressmen in compliance with search warrants for their alleged links to the failed self-coup and to crimes of corruption.

Chávez’s lawyer, Erwin Siccha, told the press that the also suspended legislator is “extremely calm” because her procedural behavior has been “impeccable” so far, as she assured that she has submitted to the investigations from day one.

“We have provided evidence and presented arguments” in favor of Chávez, his lawyer said outside the raided house in the Magdalena district of Lima.

As reported by local television, the members of the Special Team of Prosecutors against Power Corruption are working on the search of 41 properties located in the regions of Lima, Lambayeque, Ucayali, Pasco, Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cajamarca and La Libertad.

Pedro Castillo during a press conference. Photo: EFE

While Chávez is being investigated for his participation in Castillo’s failed self-coup for the crimes of rebellion and conspiracy, the legislators are being investigated for an alleged criminal organization for allegedly supporting the Castillo government in exchange for political favors or perks, after which they were known in the presidential circle as “Los Niños”.

The prosecutors entered the offices of the congressmen involved in the Parliament buildings with the support of the National Police.

One of the legislators investigated, Edwin Martínez, from the opposition Acción Popular party, told the press that the fact that he visited the Government Palace was not enough to be implicated in a crime, when asked about the prosecutor’s operation at his home. from Arequipa.

Another of the committed legislators, the second vice president of Parliament, Silvia Monteza, wrote on her Twitter account that she was giving prosecutors all the facilities in order to seek “clarification of the truth.”

On Wednesday, Congress approved constitutionally accusing Chávez for the alleged commission, as a co-author, of the crime of rebellion and, alternatively, of conspiracy, after which it suspended her from the exercise of her legislative functions while the criminal proceedings against her last. .

Before, Chávez asked the plenary session to approve the accusation to face the tax investigation, “I agree,” said the former prime minister who was elected deputy for the Marxist Peru Libre party, which brought Castillo to power in 2021.

He immediately expressed his “deep democratic commitment” and said that “this country needs to be reconciled and for that it is a priority that the social pact be the product of dialogue.”

With information from EFE

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