Peruvian president set to face second impeachment attempt
Update: President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski tendered his resignation before Thursday’s impeachment vote but continued to deny wrongdoing.
Today, Peru’s congress will hold a second impeachment vote against President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski for alleged “permanent moral incapacity”.
Opposition lawmakers have accused Mr Kuczynski of lying to conceal his ties to Odebrecht, a Brazilian construction firm under fire for a widespread corruption scandal. They charge the president with lying about payments received from Odebrecht by an investment bank he owns.
During the first impeachment attempt, the opposition only managed to gather 78 of the 87 votes needed to strip the president of his powers.
Today’s vote will present new evidence leaked recently by the media suggesting Mr Kuczynski was knowledgeable about the payments, which were allegedly disguised as “campaign contributions”.
Regardless if the president is impeached or acquitted, today’s vote will certainly influence discussion of government corruption in Latin America, as Peru is set to host the 2018 Summit of the Americas in April.
