A new audio recording —involving suspended Supreme Judge Cesar Hinostroza and new Attorney General Pedro Chavarry— was released Monday evening amid a scandal implicating National Council of the Magistracy (CNM) members and Judicial Branch officials.
The conversation shows the two men making arrangements to hold a meeting with representatives of media outlets.
Hinostroza is heard telling Chavarry about the urgent need to meet with the media.
In one of the recordings, Hinostroza says he will call some editors-in-chief to hold a meeting at a friend's house. The
Attorney General replies: "All right, pal."
In another audio clip, in which they talk about the birthday party of CNM then-Chairman Orlando Velasquez,
Hinostroza emphasizes not to forget about the meeting with "his friend in the media."
The interlocutor replies: "This is urgent, pal."
Following the release of conversations about a possible meeting with media outlets, the
Attorney General assured he has never asked Hinostroza to make arrangements with the media, as he did not run a campaign to be elected as Public Ministry's head.
Case
Supreme Judge Cesar Hinostroza is implicated in a series of audio recordings released by Panorama TV show and investigative journalism site IDL-Reporteros.
In the conversations, the judge offers and accepts favors to and from National Council of the Magistracy (CNM) members and other officials.
According to statements contained in one audio recording, Hinostroza had allegedly negotiated —with an unknown caller— the application of a mild punishment against a child rapist.
Likewise, the CNM opened an investigation on Hinostroza. Also, an impeachment motion against him was submitted to Congress.
Furthermore, Hinostroza was removed from the presidency of the Supreme Court's Second Transitory Criminal Chamber.
The consultative commission was designed to propose urgent and concrete measures to reform the justice system thus contributing to effective, timely, transparent, efficient, and incorruptible justice.
This document included anti-corruption proposals that the Head of State mentioned on July 28 during his
address to the nation on the occasion of Peru's 197th Independence Day anniversary.
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Published: 7/31/2018