Justice and Human Rights Minister Vicente Zeballos on Thursday ruled out Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra's participation and decision-making capacity regarding the
, and the Anticorruption Attorney's Office.
"(…) Doing so would have meant a direct interference in the Attorney Office's functional autonomy," he expressed.
In this sense, the official indicated that —according to the law—
public attorneys work independently. Therefore, it is not appropriate for external officials to authorize or guide the attorneys' technical and legal labor.
Likewise, Zeballos underlined that —as member of the State Legal Defense Council— his job is to verify that processes are carried out within the framework of legal competence, which does not include knowing the details of the
accord reached with the Brazilian construction company.
In Peru, the Public Ministry is independent from the Executive Branch.
Remarks were made during an interpellation session at Congress.
Odebrecht
As is known, the Brazilian construction giant admitted to having paid millions in bribes to government officials in Peru, in order to secure public-works contracts.
As a result,
Odebrecht benefited from over US$143 million between 2005 and 2014 in Peru, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
(END) RMCH/CCR/DTK/MVB