The Special Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court on Tuesday began the oral trial of former President of the Republic, Pedro Castillo Terrones, accused of the crime of rebellion and other crimes against the Peruvian State.
Castillo arrived at the courtroom, which was specially set up inside Barbadillo Prison, where he has been detained since December 7, 2022.
The former top official provided his personal information to the court, stated that he had no lawyer, and asked Judge Norma Carbajal, to publicly disclose his letter posted on the social media platform X.
Just minutes before the oral trial began, Castillo released a public letter in which he described the legal proceedings as a "farce."
"As the constitutional president, I do not accept nor submit to being tried in this 'trial' by this Special Criminal Chamber," Castillo wrote in the letter, also claiming that he is "kidnapped" at Barbadillo Prison, located in Lima’s eastern Ate district.
Subsequently, the Judiciary assigned a public defender to Castillo, due to the absence of his legal defense in the coup attempt case.
Minutes later, the Prosecutor's Office began its opening arguments, presenting the indictment and stating that this trial has no precedent in the country's history.
It stated that Pedro Castillo violated the democratic and constitutional order, despite having been elected president.
The Other Accused
As co-authors of the crime of rebellion, the case also includes former Prime Minister Betssy Chavez Chino, Anibal Torres Vasquez, former Interior Minister Willy Huerta Olivas, as well as former Peruvian National Police (PNP) officers Manuel Lozada Morales, Justo Venero Mellado, and Eder Antonio Infanzon Gomez (the latter currently in Switzerland).
As previously stated, the
Public Ministry (Prosecutor's Office) has requested a 34-year prison sentence for Castillo Terrones, along with a civil reparation payment of S/65,419,038.53 (US$17.78 million) in favor of the Peruvian State.
For the other defendants, the Prosecutor's Office is seeking 25 and 15 years in prison, as well as a joint civil reparation payment of S/64,419,038 (US$17.51 million) to be paid by those convicted.
During the investigation phase, a total of 65 documentary pieces of evidence and testimonies from over 69 witnesses were admitted, in addition to forensic, handwriting, and other expert analyses.
Additionally, three expert witnesses admitted by both the prosecution and defense will participate, along with 16 pieces of conventional evidence and a total of 75 evidentiary documents from all parties involved.
The Special Criminal Chamber has scheduled trial sessions three times per week (Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays), initially in person at Barbadillo prison, located in Lima's eastern Ate Vitarte district.
The oral trial hearings against the former Head of State will be broadcast live and continuously on
JusticiaTV, the official channel of the Peruvian Judiciary.
The judicial panel is presided over by Supreme Judge Jose Neyra Flores (Chairman) and includes Magistrates Ivan Guerrero Lopez and Norma Carbajal Chavez.
The case against Castillo Terrones stems from his attempt to breach constitutional order on December 7, 2022, when he ordered the dissolution of Congress and the reorganization of the Judiciary, the Public Ministry, and other institutions.
(END) NDP/RMCH/JMP/MVB