Peruvian President Pedro Castillo to give criminal investigation statement
Peruvian President Pedro Castillo will give a statement to the country’s National Prosecutors Office today regarding a criminal investigation into his presidency.
Although Peru’s presidents are immune to indictment, Peru’s attorney general accused him of influence peddling, collusion and criminal organization. In March, Castillo survived a second impeachment attempt by Peru’s Congress over corruption allegations. In June, Agricultural Minister Javier Arce resigned two weeks after being sworn in due to his lack of experience and failing to admit being subject to past criminal and tax investigations. The country has seen ongoing protests since Castillo’s latest impeachment due to anger over inflation, corruption and governmental incompetence.
Although he cannot be indicted, expect the investigation to lead to further drops in Castillo’s popularity and increase the chance of renewed protests. Castillo’s opponents in Peru’s congress will likely continue to impeach him throughout the remainder of his office in order to remind the public of Castillo’s criminal investigations and improve their own popularity. The inability of Peru’s congress to successfully remove Castillo and worsening economic and governmental dysfunction will likely impede the country’s long-term growth and lead to larger, more-prolonged protests that are likely to turn violent if people’s standard of living declines.
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