The Prosecutor's Office is seeking a 15-year prison sentence for the former president, who claims to be the victim of "political persecution."
MADRID, 14 (EUROPA PRESS)
Peru's judiciary announced this Wednesday that it has imposed a five-month pretrial detention sentence on former President Martín Vizcarra (2018-2020) in a case alleging passive bribery.
The judge of the Seventh National Preparatory Investigation Court, Jorge Chávez Tamariz, has ordered that the prison sentence be carried out immediately, according to the Andean country's judiciary in a brief statement published on its profile on the social network X.
During the hearing, he explained that there is a risk of prosecution and flight, as well as questionable behavior on the part of the accused, reasons for which he declared the Prosecutor's request well-founded, according to radio station RPP.
The former president later called the measure a "total injustice" and denounced being the victim of "political persecution." "What they've done to me is a total abuse of my rights; I will continue to fight and defend myself," he stated in a video address posted on his TikTok account.
In this regard, he asserted that he learned of the ruling two days ago and stated that "there is a mafia pact governing Peru, taking over the institutions and powers of the State, and now it is demonstrating this by meddling in the judiciary."
Therefore, he called on the international community and his fellow citizens to "raise their voices and fight to save Peruvian democracy."
Vizcarra is being investigated as the alleged perpetrator of passive bribery during the bidding process for public works projects while he was governor of Moquegua, in the south of the country. Specifically, the projects involved two public works projects: "Lomas de Ilo" and "Moquegua Hospital."
